Customs
by Bunnyboy
Summary: When the CSI crew investigate the racial motives behind the murder of five people, a unique squad of military experts are sent to protect them. SaraOC and then GSR. By the way, you know that we English have a different view on drinking right?
1. House calls

Gil Grissom sat behind the desk in his office looking over the last of the backed up case files for the nightshift.

"I hate paper work," He sighed. It had been a slow night and with only two new cases coming in, he decided to sit aside. He reluctantly decided to tackle the papers piled on his desk. He had even more to do than usual after Ecklie had decided to put the nightshift back together again. Nick's abduction had made him think that the team had worked well together. Also the labs stats had begun to slip since the split so in his words, it was in the best interest of the lab. Catherine had not been happy at the news but Ecklie had decided that she and Grissom should both be supervisors on the nightshift. Ecklie also stood by his decision to keep Grissom as the lead supervisor believing him to be the most experienced. Grissom thought that Catherine would be upset by this but his thoughts were incorrect. She was happy dropping back into her old life and for things to go back the way they were. Sophia had been appointed the new supervisor of the swing shift which of course meant that the graveyard was back together again. Gil Grissom, Catherine Willows, Warrick Brown, Nick Stokes, Sara Sidle and Greg Sanders. It seemed that Ecklie wasn't all that bad. Was he really thinking this? Ecklie good? Nah couldn't be! He ran his hand through his silver grey curls, readjusted his glasses and sighed again. He closed the last manila file and placed it with the other completed cases. He pulled the glasses from his face and placed them on the desk. He slowly rubbed his eyes and looked his watch. There was a sudden knocking at his door and Catherine opened the door not waiting for an invitation to enter. She was wearing a lightly coloured pant suit which matched her strawberry-blonde hair. Her hair was straight and slightly curved off towards her shoulders at the bottoms. She stuck her head in the door.

"Brass just called," She took a step into the room. "He says we got a multiple homicide in Spring Valley. He says that were gonna need the whole nightshift for this one," She stood just on the other side of his desk. Grissom rubbed his forehead at the news.

"You think that Brass is exaggerating?" He asked. She shook her head.

"He sounded pretty serious on the phone,"

"Where's the team Cath?" He placed his glasses back over his eyes.

"Nick and Greg are working a DB in the desert and Sara and Warrick are dealing with the aftermath of a house fire in Henderson," She tapped her fingers together waiting for Grissoms response.

"We've barley started the shift, I doubt that they will be able to assists us just yet. We'll go check it out," Grissom rose from his seat and collected his kit from the floor. When he looked up, he saw Catherine's shoulders lift slightly.

"Just the two of us?" She asked as he walked towards her. He shrugged as he passed her.

"Just us Cath,"

* * *

Grissom slowly drove towards the dark house in Spring Valley. The dusty road he was travelling was poorly lit and he struggled to see even with his lights on. Catherine stared out the side window of the passenger seat. She was talking about how Lindsey was finding life at High school. He liked listening to Catherine talk, it was very relaxing. Up ahead the road was getting brighter with the swinging lights of several police cars. They slowly roll to a stop and got out of the SUV. They both got their kits out of the back seat and walked towards the old building. The house looked late Victorian and had been abandoned years ago with most of the windows being boarded up when the last occupants had left. The flashing lights from the cop cars flickered on and off the walls causing the different shadows to dance across the wooden surface. Grissom and Catherine both stopped to survey the scene. Jim Brass spotted them and dismissed the young policeman he'd been talking to. He took a few steps towards them.

"Hey guys, just the two of you? What about the rest of the Geek Squad?" He asked with a rather confused look on his face. Grissom shook his head.

"They're off doing their assignments Jim. I'm not gonna pull them off them unless I have a good reason," Jim Shrugged his shoulders and shook his head slightly.

"Trust me, this is an excellent reason," He said as he pointed over his shoulder towards the broken down house. "Come on, I'll show you where they are," He turned and began walking towards the house. He continued talking as they walked through the rusted front door. "Developer found them. He was giving the house a once over before it was demolished tomorrow," Jim slipped on a pair of latex gloves. "When he found this," He reached up and pulled back a scarlet curtain that seem to hide the old living room. The room was decorated to suit the outside of it, with a very Victorian feel. Few remnants were left in the room and the carpet had been worn away in places. In the centre of the ceiling was a large crystal chandelier and below it kneeled the remnants of five bodies. The bodies were all set out in a circle and all faced a focal point. Each one was gagged and bound with rope and four had their throats cut while the other had his wrists slit behind his back. Gil and Catherine stepped into the room and scanned it with their flashlights. They walked over to the bodies. In the centre was an open book, the pages slowly moving back and forward with the draft that was blowing through the building. Grissom stepped between the bodies and knelt down to look at the book. He realised it was a dictionary and looked at the words on the open pages. One word and its description was highlighted. He spoke out loud as he read it.

"Evil. Having qualities tending to injury and mischief; having a nature or properties which tend to badness; mischievous; not good; worthless or deleterious; poor; as, an evil beast; and evil plant; an evil crop," Catherine and Jim looked at him quickly. "It was underlined in this dictionary," He pointed at the book that was still on the floor. Grissom look around him and noticed something about each of the corpses. He looked at each one slowly.

"What you think Grissom? Ritual?" Catherine asked. She walked over to the body circle and looked at him. He was still looking at the faces slowly. "Grissom?" She asked again.

"It's possible that this could be some sort of religious ritual… but I think this might be racial," Catherine looked down at him. "Look at these people, Cath," He pointed the flashlight at each one of them. "A white man, a black woman, anoriental woman,a native Americanand what looks to be a man from India. Each one with their throats cut apart from the white man those wrists was slashed," Catherine continued looking at him for a minute and then took another look around the room. As she did, the light from her flashlight cause something to quickly shine on the white mans forehead. He stared and another movement from Catherine caused it again. "Catherine? What temperature would you say it is in this room?" She didn't stop and continued to look around the room.

"Freezing why?" She asked. He looked around at the other bodies and noticed the same reflection of light of their foreheads.

"So these guys couldn't be sweating then?" Catherine stopped dead in her tracks and turned towards her friend.

"Uh… Dead bodies don't sweat Gil," She said confusingly.

"Pass me the UV light will you?" She walked over and reached into his kit and pulled out and small portable UV light machine. He took it and switched it on. It stuttered to life scattered out a blue beam. Instantly word appeared on the forehead of all the corpses. The word "EVIL" was written across the foreheads of the two women and two of the men. Gil turned his light towards the white man and the word "TRAITOR" was written on his forehead. Grissom and Catherine stared at the words.

"Guys" Jim said. They both turn and saw Jim staring at a wall above the fireplace. They walked over and saw something written on the wall which was made more visible by more UV light.

_A good tree can not bring forth evil fruit._

_W.O.S Forever_

"The White Orchard Skinheads" Jim spoke these words quietly just enough for Grissom and Catherine to hear him. "The worst White Power movement in America," Grissom slowly turned to Catherine.

"Were gonna need the whole team for this one,"

* * *

A few days had passed since they discovered the bodies at the old house. Grissom walked through the lab towards his office checking the messages that the receptionist had handed him. He walked passed the break room and saw Sara and Greg out of the corner of his eye. They looked up from their conversation only to see Grissom pass them by. Sara stepped out of the break room and followed him. Grissom got to his office door and stopped.

"Can I help you Sara?" He said without looking over his shoulder. Sara stopped and laughed quietly.

"How did you know I was following you?" She asked. He turned round to face her. She was wearing dark jeans and a long sleeved pale blouse. Her brunette hair was hanging straight around her shoulders. He lowered his gaze and peered over his glasses with his bright blue eyes into her deep brown.

"So you admit to following me?" He said with a slight humour in his voice. She blushed and immediately went on the defensive. _"Like she always does"_ thought Grissom.

"No of course I wasn't. We got the results back from Trace," Her voice had lifted a little and she seemed more relaxed. Grissom open the door and entered his office. He set the messages on his desk. Sara leant against the open door frame with her hands in her pockets. "It seems that a type of Magic Marker was used to write the words on the victim's foreheads. It's a common type of pen that's sold practically everywhere so good luck tracing that!" Grissom sat at behind his desk and motioned for Sara to join him. She walked over and sat in the chair opposite Gil.

"What are they trying to tell us?" He asked. Sara sighed and he looked up at her.

"Grissom, we only listen to what the evidence tells us," She said as she flicked a bang of hair out of her eyes. "People lie, A great man once told me that" She was interrupted by Nick knocking and entering the office. He was a little surprised to see Sara in the office but began talking anyway.

"Hey guys," He looked down at a piece of paper in his hand. "The paint on the wall is chemically identical to the paint that casinos use to silently mark money. It only shows up under UV light," Sara looked back at Grissom.

"Well that's unusual," She said with a large grin spread across her face. A similar grin also spread across Grissom's face.

"And a lot easier to trace than a magic marker," they stared at each other for a few seconds before once again they were interrupted by Nick.

"What's even easier to trace is the fingerprint I found in the paint," He was the one grinning now. "I just got beeped to say they have a match, I headed down there now," He stepped out the room and proceeded down the corridor. Sara and Grissom both stood up and followed him. As they walked side by side, Grissom lent towards her.

"I hope this great man you were talking about was me?" He whispered. She turned to him and giggled slightly.

"No, House," She answered. Grissom looked a little more than confused. "Dr. Gregory House. An MD from New Jersey. A little rough around the edges but an all around great guy," Grissom smiled slightly and they continued towards the print lab. They were surprised to see Archie sat at the computer. He and Nick were chatting about something to do with video games with Archie never really taking his eyes off the computer screen before him. As Sara and Gil entered the room he lifted his head and gave them a smile.

"Archie?" Grissom asked "What are you doing in here?"

"The print tech called in sick so I'm covering for him," He answered. He turned and looked back at the monitor in front of him. "I've got your AFIS results right here," A few clicking of the mouse and a rap sheet popped up. Nick, Sara and Grissom looked at the projected image on the wall. "Peter Lambert, 31, born in Sheffield, England and all around scum of the universe. This guy has got a rap sheet dating back to when he was 12. He's been convicted for the works," Sara looked down the list of offences and shook her head as she spoke.

"Joyriding, grand theft auto, breaking and entering, assault, assault with a deadly weapon. Man this guy is bad," Grissom and Nick nodded their heads at her.

"This guy came to America about three years ago from France and just never left," Archie Added.

"Archie, bring up the known accomplices of Mr. Lambert," Grissom asked. A few more clicks on the mouse and another window appeared on the screen.

"We got Johnny Castle, Jimmy Street, Alan Simmons, Stanley Goodspeed and John Mason," Archie looked up from his monitor at the Grissom and the others. "All of them are known members of the White Orchard Skinheads," Grissom sighed.

"I'll phone Brass and get him to bring in this Peter Lambert,"

* * *

It took a few days for PD to track down Peter Lambert but he was soon being hauled into an interrogation room by Jim Brass and a few other Police men. Grissom and Sara watched through the two way mirror as they struggled to get Lambert to calm down. Jim clearly had what was going to be one hell of a black eye in the morning and the other officers seemed to have other cuts and bruises. Grissom turned his attention to Peter Lambert. He was a tall man, probably about 6"1' and very well built. He was wearing a white vest and dark jeans with a silver chain hanging from his side pocket to his back pocket. His arms and chest were covered with tattoos and he wasn't exactly trying to hide them. Several Nazi symbols and skulls. On the left side of his neck was an Union Jack and the Stars and Stripes flying together. On his left arm, was a marking that said 'Made in Sheffield'. As the police officers struggled to get Lambert into his seat, Grissom and Sara were given a glimpse of his back. Most of it covered by the vest but revealing more tattoos. On both shoulder blades he had the head of a pit bull and the words 'W.O.S Forever' were written just below the back of his neck in a nostalgic font. His dark hair was really short. Practically cut down to the skin. _"Well I guess that what makes him a skinhead"_ Grissom thought. Sara turned and looked at him.

"Is this guy for real?" She asked. Grissom continued to stare through the mirror.

"He's a real life Derek Vineyard," Sara gave him a confused look and looked back through the two way mirror at their suspect.

"Who's Derek Vineyard?"

"American History X," Grissom answered quietly. "It's a film about a Neo-Nazi who realises that his life of violence and hate has ruined his family. You should watch it its good," Sara smiled and looked at the floor.

"Are you telling me you watch other things beside the Discovery Channel?" Sara chuckled. Grissom smiled and looked down at the rap sheet in his hand. Jim began speaking and both Gil and Sara looked at the interrogation before them. Jim paced around the room while the other two policemen stood against the walls.

"Right Mr. Lambert, lets get down to business shall we?" Brass seemed very calm for a man who had just received a black eye. "What is your connection to the White Orchard Skinheads?" Peter looked up at Brass who was now stood leaning against the chair opposite him. All he did was stared at Brass, not saying a word. "Not much of a talker then?" Brass sighed and continued to walk round the room. "Ok. What about the Old house on Fort Bend Street in Spring Valley? Ever been there?" Lambert simply shook his head as a response. "Well maybe you worked there for a while? Maybe you dropped one of your KKK buddies off there after one of your Boy Scout meetings?" Jim lent across the table and got really close to Lambert who simply stared back at Brass. "Or maybe you went there to kill five innocent people?" Peter finally looked away from Brass down at his cuffed hand on the table before him.

"Innocent?" His voice gave off a slight hint of an English accent but it had been worn at by living in America. "They anything but innocent Captain Brass. We watched them for months, looking for the right people but those four deserved what they got," He brought his hands up to his face and began rubbing his forehead. "The black woman was screwing every man that walked into her house besides her hard working husband. The Redskin was illegally selling his peoples land and netting all the profits. The Asian chick and the Paqui were fucking immigrants who stole over peoples jobs because they would work for less money than a decent hard working American," Brass simply stood there bewildered by the mans comments. He turned his head to its side.

"What about the white guy?" Brass asked. Peter smiled and slumped back against the cold back of the chair.

"A fucking journo from England, trying to land a decent headline and drop us all in it and be a fucking hero," Peter seemed to be angrier at the mention of the white corpse found at the scene as his fists were clenched and his knuckles were turning white. Brass noticed and turned to the other cops in the room.

"Take him to the cells and let him calm down for a while," The two other cops walked over and escorted Lambert out of the room and down the hall quietly. Brass looked towards the two way mirror. He was only able to see his reflection but he knew they were there. "This is getting big," He walked out the room as Grissom and Sara joined him in the hall.

"What can we do Jim?" Sara asked. Both Jim and Grissom shook their heads.

"Well, I know its not going to be easy but I think me and Jim are gonna need to talk to Ecklie about this," Grissom sighed. Suddenly a voice behind them made them jump.

"Talk to me about what?" Ecklie asked.


	2. Introductions

_A/N. Sorry it took so long to update but work has been hectic over Christmas and I'm currently addicted to World of Warcraft at the minute so that's taking up a lot of my time. Anyway this is an insanely long chapter with some rather long speeches in it towards the end which i have broken up a little bit to make it easier to read. Anyway tell me if you like it._

They were all sat, chatting in the break room. They were waiting for Brass's information of the other members of the W.O.S. Grissom was stood against one of the kitchen counters trying to enjoy his twelfth cup of coffee of the shift. Nick, Warrick and Catherine were sat at the break table talking to each other about the latest celebrity gossip. Occasionally one of them would laugh and cause the entire room to look towards them. Sara and Greg were sat together on the couch looking through some of the magazines that dayshift had left on the coffee table. Sara looked at one of the models bright shirts and admired the color. She faced the picture towards Greg and silently asked for his opinion. He looked and shook his head.

"Don't you think that pink is the wrong color for you," He obviously didn't think before he spoke. "It's doesn't match your hair," She smiled a little and turned away from him pretending to be upset. She crossed her arms over her chest and pouted like an 8 year old who can't get her way. Greg seriously thought she was upset with him and immediately started reasoning with her. He let go of his magazine and it dropped to the floor. The whole team was now watching and they could all see Sara's face who was trying to hold back from laughing at Greg's ramblings. Grissom was also trying not to laugh but was finding it more difficult to hold it back that Sara was. Warrick and Nick were just sat and hoping that Greg wouldn't say anything else wrong. Catherine had literally turned in her seat and was trying to get a decent view of the situation of the couch but she had to keep looking round Warrick's tall frame which wasn't a bad thing in her mind. "I'm so sorry Sara," Said Greg. "I didn't mean it that way," The whole team sighed at the revelation that Greg had said the right thing. Sara relaxed a little and looked over her shoulder at Greg with a slight smile on her face. Catherine, Nick and Warrick began talking again. Greg bent over and picked up the magazine he had dropped. "It's just that I don't think you could pull off wearing girlie clothes," There was a bang as both Nick and Warrick's heads hit the table together. Sara turned to him slowly and boy did she look mad.

"What did you say?" Sara screamed. Catherine threw her chair back and bolted for the door but she got caught in the frame with Gil who was also trying to escape from Sara's outburst. Nick and Warrick lifted their heads from the cold surface almost simultaneously. They looked over at Sara who was stood up towering over a confused Greg who was still sat on the dark grey couch. Her hands were clenched into balls and she looked like she would snap at any minute.

"Nice one Greggo!" Nick whispered. Sara shot her head round and gave both him and Warrick a death glare.

"Time to go!" Warrick said as they both stood up and ran out the break room door. They made it half way down the corridor before they heard Sara really kick off on poor Greg who was now left on his own to deal with a rather pissed off Sara Sidle. They walked into the DNA lab where Gil and Catherine were trying to hide. They closed the glass door behind them which helped to muffle most of Sara's shouting.

"Has anybody else noticed that she's getting worst lately?" Nick asked as the door shut.

"She just needs a nice man in her life to calm her down a little," Catherine said. All three of them looked at Grissom who suddenly realised their gazes. "Someone who really cares for her and isn't gonna hurt her like everyone else has," Once again they were all looking at Grissom who was thought he might have something on his face. Suddenly they heard a slam as the break room door closed. They looked around and saw Sara sulking down the corridor towards the locker room. Once she was out of sight, Grissom spoke.

"I think that someone should go and talk to her," All three men turned and looked at Catherine. "Just to make sure she's ok," It took a few moments before Catherine caught on.

"What? Me?" She whined as she pointed to herself. "Oh no, you know how we don't get along," Grissom just smiled.

"All the more reason for you to go Cath," He shot a quick glance at Nick and Warrick who were nodding in agreement. "To build bridges and you know full well that if anything with an XY chromosome comes within 50 feet of her, she'll just erupt again,"

All three of the men looked at Catherine and gave her the puppy dog eyes along with the trembling bottom lips. How could she resist that? Nicky, Warrick and Grissom all looking adorable towards her. Suddenly she sighed at the thought of having to deal with an angry Sara.

"Alright, I'll go talk to her," She made her way out the door but not before turning back. "But you guys owe me a drink after this," The guys nodded and she left the room.

"I think we'd better check on Greg and make sure that Sara didn't kill him," Grissom said as the others turned back to look towards the break room. Suddenly Ecklie entered the room and simply nodded at Nick and Warrick before turning his attention to Gil.

"Grissom, I need to speak to you in my office now," It didn't sound like he was barking an order at Gil but it was enough for Grissom to take him seriously. Before he could answer, Ecklie turned to Nick and Warrick. "I need you two to round everyone of the night shift CSI's and get them to wait for Gil in the break room," They simply nodded at his command. He and Grissom then both left and made their way towards Ecklie's office. Grissom thought that this might be about Sara and the recent behaviour around the lab. Ecklie stayed silent until he opened the door into his office. He ushered Gil in and closed the door behind him. Gil noticed a man he didn't recognise sat in the leather chair opposite Ecklie's desk. The man was balding with slight remains of light silvery hair on the sides. He was wearing a dark navy suite which looked very expensive. The man turned and stood up once he realised he had company. Ecklie promptly gave the introductions. "Gil, this is Anthony Webster, The Director of External Affairs at the C.I.A," The man outstretched his hand which Grissom quickly shook. "Anthony, this is Dr. Gil Grissom, Supervisor of the Nightshift who are working the case,"

"Ah Dr. Grissom, I've heard so much about you," The man was smiling from ear to ear. Ecklie motioned for Gil to sit and Grissom slowly lowered himself into one of the chairs.

"How is the case going?" He asked as he also took his seat.

"Well Mr. Webster," Grissom was quickly interrupted.

"Call me Tony," He said. Grissom smiled slightly before continuing.

"Well, we have a list of suspects that were working through and a pile of evidence that is still waiting to be processed," The director nodded his head obviously please with the direction of the case.

"Ecklie informed me that one of the victims was an Englishman, is that correct?" Anthony asked sounding very worried.

"The suspect we interviewed informed us that he was an English Journalist," Grissom said as Ecklie nodded his head in agreement.

"Well the Englishman is the reason I'm here," Tony said as he undid the buttons on his jacket to make himself more comfortable. "Two nights a go after Conrad had informed me of the case and the victims, I made phone call to my counter part in the English Government to inform him of the recent events. An hour later, I got a call from Thomas Edgar who is currently the Head of MI6," Grissom continued to listen as the story developed. "He said that the W.O.S has been under their investigation for about 4 years. Apparently the journalist they killed was an undercover agent who was collecting information on their underground activities here in America. Not only did they put an agent into our country without informing us but they were claiming international jurisdiction on the agents death and the case involved with it. Now legally they can do that as it was their case to start with but I managed to calm him down and told him that the best crime lab in America was working this case. After about an hours discussion and me missing my granddaughters dance recital he began telling me some very alarming info on these skinheads,".

Grissom readjusted in his seat before the director continued. "Apparently in England, these Nazi movements aren't a big problem as they are here but their still a factor. The White Orchard Skinheads were started there in 1995. In 2001, the main members fled to France to avoid prosecution for the murder of 14 people. The English believed that they had gone into hiding but about year later, they resurfaced and committed bombings in some major Asian communities. Reportedly, close to 200 people died from the explosions. That's when MI6 got involved and sent in a newly formed TASK force to investigate and clear up the mess. They succeeded in wiping out most of the W.O.S members but a few escaped and fled here to America. An English agent was sent to infiltrate the gang and came here to America with them. He's been undercover for nearly 3 years until you found him. Now the English are pissed and they want the guys responsible behind bars. Now from the history of the skinheads they've done some bad things that I'd rather not repeat, this leads me to why I'm here," Grissom was a little baffled by the sudden flooding of information about his suspects. He took off his glasses and rubbed his forehead feeling a headache coming on. "From all the things we know, we think be best if you had some protection. So we, the Americans are gonna continue conducting the investigation and the Brits are gonna provide some 'adequate' protection for you," Grissom stopped rubbing his forehead and looked back at Anthony.

"What do you mean by protection Director?" He asked.

"They are sending in the original Task force to be your personal bodyguards until it is deemed that they are no longer needed," He answered. Grissom looked shocked at the news and then he shook his head.

"Director, with all due respect we don't need any protection. They will simply get in our way," Anthony simply shrugged his shoulders.

"I know how you feel Dr. Grissom but the English are insisting that they help. Anyway these guys are experts on the W.O.S. Not only will they be protecting you but they will also be a valuable insight into the skinhead's world," Tony stood up from his seat and took a step closer to Ecklie's desk. "But I have to warn you that these guys have a serious army background and they don't mess around. London sent over their files yesterday and I'm gonna let you look at them so you have some idea of who your dealing with. There's nothing really official in them so I don't see a problem in letting your team have a look at them either," He lifted up a small pile of manilla folders and handed them to Gil. "I'm told that they have just completed an assignment in Bosnia and are on their way as we speak," The director straightened his tie and buttoned up his jacket again. "They have a brief stop off in Washington in the morning and should be with you tomorrow night. Unfortunately gentlemen, I have an appointment somewhere else so I will leave it to you to brief your team," With that he shook both men's hands and quickly left the office. Grissom turned back to Ecklie who had remained in his seat.

"Well that was unusual," Grissom said. The look on his face showed more than confusion. Maybe he was upset having to deal with someone in his personal space.

"You think that was weird," Ecklie opened his top drawer and pulled out a USB pen. "This was sent to me from London, with a note that said that you would need it. The note said it contained everything you'd need," He handed over to an even more confused looking Grissom who slowly placed the gadget into his shirt pocket. "I've already got Archie to setup a computer in the break room for you," Ecklie looked down at a mount of paper work in front of him and Grissom took this as a sign to leave.

* * *

He carried the folders under his arm as he made his way towards the break room. He opened the door with his free hand and noticed everyone staring up at him.

"Grissom, we've been waiting for 20 minutes," Nick nagged "What's going on?" Gil looked around the room to make sure everyone was there. Catherine, Warrick, Sara, Nick and Greg were all sat at the break table watching Archie setting up a laptop and a projector. Gil continued into the room and placed the set of folders onto the table.

"I don't think you guys are going to like this," he turned and walked over to Archie. He took the USB pen out of his pocket and handed it over to Archie. "This pen has some information on it that we need so work you magic on it Archie," Archie nodded and looked back to the screen. Grissom turned back to his team. "The Englishmen we found among the bodies was not a journalist as the suspects thought," Everyone was staring at him confused. "He was an undercover agent working for MI6," Everybody's eyes went wide.

"Whoa, British Intelligence? You mean like proper James Bond stuff?" Greg peeped up with a very small bruise on his left cheek.

"Greg, shut up!" Sara barked at him. Greg closed the imaginary zipper across his mouth before Grissom continued.

"MI6 has tried to claim jurisdiction over the case as they have been investigating these guys for a while," Everybody moaned at the possibility of losing the high priority case to someone else. "But they have agreed to let us continue the investigation," Everyone let out a small cheer. "Under one condition. That we are protected by them,"

"What?" Sara asked as everyone still looked confusingly at Grissom.

"These people," He said as he tapped the pile of folders on the table. "Are gonna be assigned to us as bodyguards until this case is over," Another loud groan spread through the room as everyone voiced their opinions. Gil handed them each a folder and they began to examine their contents. Nothing more than an Army report, a Psychological report and an I.D photograph.

"I got a really hot girl here," Greg said obviously forgetting what Sara had told him earlier. He held up a picture showing a blonde haired girl with bright blue eyes in her early 20's.

"Me too," said Catherine holding up another picture of a young women. This one was a dark brunette roughly the same age. "What her name Greg?" She asked referring to his photo. Greg lifted his eyebrows.

"You tell me your and I'll tell you mine," he said suggestively. Catherine sighed and looked back down at the folder before her.

"Kimberly Watson," She answered.

"This ones name is Danielle Barrett," He handed Warrick the photo who whistled before passing it to Nick.

"Whoa, very nice," His Texan accent seemed to show more when he talked about girls. Greg looked back down at the Army report that had been partially hidden by the photograph.

"There's not much information in these files," He said. Suddenly his eyebrows scrunched up in confusion. Sara noticed.

"What's wrong Greg?" He looked up at her across the table.

"This report has some personal details about her like any report would but there's something here that says 'Entry Conviction' and then next to it, it says 'Murder'," they all looked down at their own reports looking for what Greg was talking about. Catherine quickly glanced over the report and found it.

"Mine says murder too," She said.

"This one says Manslaughter," Nick said lifting his folder. "What about you War?"

"It's just says MCM, what does that mean," He asked. Suddenly Brass spoke up from the doorway.

"It's a code meaning Massive Computer Misuse," Everybody turned and looked at him. "It means that he's been convicted for Hacking," Jim stepped into the room and took a seat at the table next to Sara. "What are you guys up to?" He asked.

"These people are gonna be our bodyguards for a while so were getting to know them a little," Warrick answered.

"Oh are these the guys from England?" Brass asked. Once again everyone looked confused.

"How do you know about them, Jim?" Gil asked from the head of the table.

"The entire P.D has been briefed that these guys were coming but we were told nothing about them…" He was interrupted by Archie sitting at the nearby desk.

"Dr. Grissom, the computer's ready for you," The whole team stood up and walked over to him at the laptop. "Sorry it took so long but there was a simple encryption on the pen but its ready now," They all watch the projected image on the wall as Archie opened the folders on the pen. "That's strange, there's only one exe file. Nothing else,"

"The note said that this has got some information on it," Grissom said slightly confused. "Run the exe file Archie, see what it does," At his command, Archie moved the mouse pointer over the file icon and double clicked it. The computer whirred and clicked before bringing up a loading screen and a bar began sliding its way to 100. There was nothing else on the screen but the red bar slowly making its way to its goal. The entire team held their breath as the bar hit 100 and it seemed to do nothing for a few seconds. Suddenly it opened a full window that filled the screen. It was simply a faded red background with the words 'Awaiting Security Code' and an empty black box below with a flashing cursor below it.

"Security Code?" Archie asked looking at Grissom. Gil simply shrugged his shoulders.

"Nobody mentioned a code," As they continued to watch the screen, another young girl appeared actually on the screen. It was a real woman, not an animated one. She was wearing a white pant suite and her reddish hair was done up in a bun at the back making her look very sophisticated. She began to speak with a very posh English accent.

"Good evening Dr. Grissom. My name is Jenny Fisher and I am currently a high level programmer for MI6. Thomas Edgar asked me to create this program for you. It includes the personnel files on the six men and women that you will be working with. Thomas also gave me a recording he had made about them that I have incorporated into this program. Anyway before I ramble on any further, you'll need the code to access it," She pointed to the empty black box next to her. "Yesterday I mailed a coding box to you and you should have received it by now," Once again everyone looked at Grissom.

"I haven't received anything," He said while shrugging his shoulders. There was a sudden knocking on the door which made everyone jump. They turned around to see Judie, the receptionist. She opened the door and handed a padded envelope to Gil.

"This was just delivered for you Mr. Grissom," she gave a smile and left the room. The whole team stood totally dumb founded.

"I don't know about you guys," Nick said. "But I'm officially freaked," Grissom opened the envelope and shook out the contents out into his hand. A small metallic box was the only thing in the envelope. It was about the same size as his I.D badge but just a little thicker. He looked all around it and found nothing. Jenny on the computer began speaking again and the team huddled around the screen.

"It should look like a small cigarette case. You'll notice a small indented square on the top of the box," Grissom looked around the small object in his hands and found a small square no bigger than his thumbnail. "The small square is a fingerprint reader. I have assigned it to your fingerprints Dr. Grissom so that only you can open it. Once you place a finger on the panel, the box will open," Grissom did what he was told and placed his index finger onto the panel. The box whined for a moment and the Jenny's voice came from the box. "Thank you, Dr. Grissom". Everybody in the room just stared at the device in Grissom's hands.

"This is the coolest thing I have ever seen," Sara said. Everyone agreed with her as the box split in two and the top half slid open to reveal an arrangement of buttons assigned with different letters and numbers assigned to them.

"Now Dr.Grissom, once the box is open," Jenny had begun speaking again. "This program will generate a random set of letters and numbers that you need to type into the code box. It will then display another collection of numbers and letters that you will need to type into the black box on this screen. Here is the first code to input into the code box," She pointed next to her where the code NL675HG546 had just appeared and then she disappeared off the screen. Grissom franticly typed in the letters and numbers into the code box looking several times back up at the computer screen to check that it was correct. When the full code was entered, a very small screen on the code box brought up another code: 829BF049ZW. Grissom said the code out loud and Archie slowly typed it into the computer. The team watched as the code entered into the black box on the screen. As the last figure was entered a loading screen came up and the computer whirred again. Suddenly Jenny reappeared on the screen again and smiled. "Congratulations Dr. Grissom, you now have access to this program," The background of the program faded into a black colour and showed nothing. They waited a few seconds but nothing appeared.

"Archie? What did you do?" Warrick asked. Archie simply shrugged his shoulders. Suddenly a new voice was heard coming from the speakers. A very strong male voice still baring an English accent but not as strong as Jenny's had been.

"Dr. Grissom, My name is Thomas Edgar, head of Mi6. Firstly, I'd like to thank you for being so understanding. I know it will be difficult having strangers around during the investigation but we believe that it is in yours and your team's best interests to have them with you. Secondly, the information contained in this program in confidential so I must ask that you view it in a secure room. Your team is welcome to view it also as we trying to make it less of a daunting experience for you. Just make sure that it is only you and your team who will be able to see this information," Grissom cleared his throat and the nodded to the table where they had all been sat. They all caught on and reassumed their seats around the break room table. Grissom leaned in and whispered into Archie's ear. Archie simply nodded and left the room. Grissom then walked around and closed the blinds on the windows so nobody could peer into the room. As the room went dark, the voice began to speak again. "The following officers you are about to see are the six members of an elite team created 3 years ago to investigate an incident in France involving the W.O.S. At the time their first objective was to remove all traces of the W.O.S and their Nazi members. Their second objective was to contact and protect our undercover agent who was deep in the W.O.S at the time. When the W.O.S fled to America, the team was called back and assigned to other duties in the Far East. Where, due to they're recon work in Iraq, they were affectionately nicknamed 'The Desert Ravens". They soon became experts in desert and urban warfare as well as performing numerous sneaking missions into key Iraqi strongholds. You may have noticed that the paper files contain a piece of information called an 'Entry Conviction'. This is because in the mid 90's the English Government setup a program to try and relieve the growing amount of convicts in our already straining prison system. People that were found guilty of serious crimes and showed some potential would be offered the opportunity to serve their sentence in one of the Armed Forces. Of course it was a popular option as unlike Prison you weren't locked away from the world and you were given time like regular soldiers to visit your family at home. The majority of the members of the Desert Ravens were recruited through that program, which brings me to introducing you to your protectors,".

A photograph appeared showing a man in his early 20's with a very distinct facial features. His hair was short and a little curly at the ends which he seemed to of adopted into a style. A large amount of information rolled by next to the image as the director continued to speak. "William Savage. Born on August 25th 1980. His mother died in child-birth leaving his father to raise him. Believing his son to be a push over, he forced Billy into boxing and other violent sports. His father raised him hard and slowly his life revolved around violence. By the time he was sixteen he was a main man in an unsanctioned underground boxing league. When he was eighteen, he beat three of his opponents to death in the ring. He was convicted of Voluntary Manslaughter in 1998. He served for 3 years in the army before enrolling in the SAS where he served for just one year before being called up to Mi6. Next, Steven Bullock," The image faded and changed to another, showing another man with rough blonde hair which was spiked and darkened off on the tips. His facial features made him look a little younger than the previous man. Fresh information began to slowly scroll next to the image. "Also born in 1980, his parents abandoned him in an orphanage where he stayed until he was seventeen. He then left and attended college and university obtaining a bachelors degree in computer science by his nineteenth birthday. In 1998 he was convicted of MCM after crimpling a number of high security databases belonging to a major insurance company, He served in the Army for four years, developing several of our current high tech weaponry. Wanting a new challenge he signed up to work for the Mi6 in 2002," The image changed replacing the previous one with two this time side by side. They showed the blonde and brunette girls that Greg and Catherine were talking about earlier. "Danielle Barret and Kimberly Watson. They were both put in the same foster home when they were children. Danielle was 5 and Kimberly was 4 at the time. They've been inseparable ever since. When they were both 16 they ran away from the home and quickly turned to prostitution and drugs to as a way for income. They soon came under the control of a Russian gangster called Irvine Krowski. After a while, they became his main girls and he started to take them everywhere with him. Of course hanging around with a gangster 24 hours a day means you get to see some stuff. They saw him kill a few people and even helped him with a few before he would trust them. When he did, he used Danielle and Kimberly to seduce his enemies and then kill them. After settling into it Danielle still preferred it up-close and personal but Kimberly quickly fell in love with firearms and preferred to use a sniper rifle than strangle someone. They were given the task of killing a high ranking policeman who was heading an investigation on Irvine. There was no change in their routine, Danielle was going to seduce him and kill him while Kim covered her in an adjacent building just incase. It went sour, they were setup and the policeman tried to get Danielle down on the floor to cuff her but she used a nearby knife and slit his throat. Then when several other policemen entered the room, Kim quickly shot them. They realised that it was their boss who had set them up and went and killed him too. They were arrested and convicted of five counts of murder between them in 2000. They both served for two years before their Commanding Officers contacted me about their skills and I quickly recruited them. Next is Wayne Turner," They images disappeared and were replaced by a single image of a man with spiked dark hair with a blonde streak down the middle. "The only person in the team who hasn't actually been convicted of anything. He has however in his teens been connected to several bombings and arsons around Europe. He enrolled himself in the Army after a very close conviction in 1998. He served as an engineer for two years and was called up to the SAS as an explosive expert. He spent a further two years there before being sent to me along side William. Which leads me to the final member of the team," The image changed again to reveal a man with brown hair which was gelled back apart from a small tuff at the front which hung forward over his right eye. "James Phoenix. Born in 1979 to a middle class family. He was well educated but began to go downhill after the untimely death of his mother when he was 14 and then when his father also died two years later he snapped. He was arrested for the assault of three boys at his school. Despite his age, he was given the choice to serve his sentence in the Army and he agreed. He served for 4 years before joining the SAS for 3 years before we recruited him into Mi6," The image faded and the screen went dark but Thomas Edgars voice could still be heard.

"The team is very unique, as they all bring their individual skills to the team as a whole; it develops the functionality of the team as a whole meaning they do very good work. Anyway, they should be with you soon and I hope the information in here will help you so that they don't overwhelm you too much. I have included as much as possible on their skills which if Jenny is as good a programmer as she says she is should be printing out on you default printer as we speak," Across the hall Gil could hear the printer in the DNA lab sputter to life and begin printing out pages. "I have given the control of the team to James and he will inform me of any significant developments in the case. Also, just in case you're concerned, they are strictly there to protect you and your team. You are still in charge when it comes to the case and they will not get involved unless you want them too. However, when it comes to your own safety, their in charge. They have never let me down and I trust them completely. Anyway, I've rambled on for far too long. All that's left is for me to wish you all the best. Good luck Dr. Grissom," The program closed and returned to the blank desktop. They all sat in silence, just bewildered at what they had just witnessed. Of course, Greg was the first to break it.

"I don't know about you guys, but I think this is a good idea," Everyone turned and looked at him.

"What do you mean Greg?" Catherine asked. "There's going to be six strangers sneaking around us all the time,"

"I know that Cath, but we've all seen what these skinheads are willing to do to innocent people so I'm personally glad that someone is going to be watching my back," He got a few nods from his team mates as the real danger of the case dawned on them. "Especially if that someone is a hot girl," Suddenly he was struck in the head by one of the pillows from the couch behind Sara.


	3. A Developed Situation

_A/N: Yes it's another long chapter but at least it's not as long as the last one. Thanks to everyone who reviewed. Especially CSIfreak4ever, who has written some great GSR's which I think every CSI fan, should read or be forced to. Aruora.Grissom deserves a mention as she gave me a good idea for the middle of the story. Anyway, I'm sorry it took so long to update but work has really got me tied down at the minute. But I do write some during my lunch break so I'm trying my best. Please review and tell me what you think._

* * *

The shift had ended about an hour ago and Gil was still sat in his office looking over the scene photographs of the racial murder. He head was down staring at the laid out images that were scattered across his desk. The bodies, the blood spatters on the nearby floor and the message scribbled on the wall above the fireplace that was only revealed by UV light. The words kept skipping across his mind. _A good tree can not bring forth evil fruit. _They meant something and he had heard that phrase before but he couldn't place it. The feeling of eyes made him aware of someone else in the room and looked up to find Warrick stood in his doorway. 

"What are you still doing here?" He asked as he entered the room. "Shift ended ages ago," Warrick crossed the distance between the door and Gil's desk

"I should be asking you the same thing," Gil answered as he peered over his glasses towards his friend. "Shouldn't you be at home with Tina?" Warrick sat in the chair in across from Grissom and sighed.

"She works during the day at the Hospital so I only get to see her before my shift," He continued to stare at the photographs on the desk in front of Gil. "What you working on?"

"Nothing really," Gil answered as he took off his glasses and rested them on the desk. Warrick shook his head.

"Your thinking about these spies from England invading your personal space, aren't you?" A smile spread across Gil's face and Warrick laughed. "Yeah me too," They were both silent for a few seconds before Gil bent over and opened his bottom door. He pull out a bottle of whiskey and two glasses and placed them on the desk. He pulled open the top and poured a little into one of the glasses. He then looked at Warrick, who nodded. Gil filled the other glass and handed it to Warrick. Both men took a sip and leaned back in their chairs. After another few seconds of silence, Gil spoke first.

"You think that this is a good idea?" He asked. Warrick looked back at him.

"It's never a good idea to drink this early in the morning," He said as he took another sip from his glass.

"I'm talking about the team that's coming," Warrick sensed his serious tone.

"Well, I'm not exactly happy to be having somebody following me about everywhere and if it were any other case, I'd argue," He set the empty glass on the desk. "But I can feel something wrong with this case and I'd be happy to have someone a little bit more dependable watching my back than the rookies in the P.D. Plus, any insight we get from these guys is gonna help us with the case right?" Grissom sighed and nodded before taking the last sip of whiskey and placing his glass on the desk. Warrick stood up. "Thanks for the drink, I'm going home to get some sleep. I recommend that you do the same," Warrick headed towards the door.

"Warrick," Gil said. Warrick stopped and turned to face his boss. "If Tina's upset about you working graveyard, I can transfer you to Days if that's any better for you," Warrick smiled.

"I appreciate that boss, but Tina's cool. With all the extra work she's got going on at the Hospital, I doubt she misses me," Grissom smiled back and nodded before beginning to stand up to get ready to leave. "Anyway, you don't think I'm gonna let Greg and Nick have all the fun with those nice English girls do you?" Grissom let out a laugh as Warrick left his office. Gil quickly packed up his briefcase with the files he needed to review for tonight shift and headed out the door. As he passed through reception he saw Catherine also just exiting her office looking as if she was heading home. She carried her purse over her shoulder and several bags in her hands. She was obviously struggling. She walked down the hall and flashed him a smile as they both walked passed reception together. Without saying a word, Gil reached over and took one of the bags out if her hands and carried it himself.

"You know you're a mystery sometimes Gil Grissom," She said as they stepped out into the warm morning air. Gil stopped and turned back to her to see she was still struggling with the three other bags.

"And what do you mean by that Catherine Willows?" He asked. She tried to adjust the bags so that she was could be more comfortable carrying them but it only made it worst. She looked up at him.

"Well sometimes you can be the sweetest guy in the world…" He waited for her to finish but when she didn't he spoke.

"And other times?" He asked. She bit her lower lip before speaking.

"I don't want to say," She said quickly turning her head away from his gaze. He tilted his head to the side.

"And why is that?"

"Because if I do you won't help me with my bags," Grissom smiled at her before laughing and then suddenly he turned serious.

"Try me," He looked at her and silently challenged her to say it. Of course with Catherine being Catherine she said it.

"Other times you can be a complete asshole," He stood still and pretended to think for a moment.

"Your right, I'm not going to help you with your bags," He moved forward and handed her the bag he was carrying and turned to walk away. He took a few steps and then looked over his shoulder. She was just stood there looking at him and smiling. "What are you smiling at?" He asked as he turned back towards her. She shrugged her shoulders.

"Because I know deep down, that you're going to help me anyway," She said confidently. Of course he was defeated. He sighed and realised that there was no way he wouldn't help her. He walked back over to her and took two of the bags from her and they proceeded to her SUV. She opened the back door and placed the bags on the back seat before taking the bags from Gil and placing them in the same place.

"What time does Lindsey start school?" Gil asked. Catherine closed the back door of the SUV and looked down at the elegant watch around her wrist.

"She should already be on her way there, why?" Gil smiled.

"Come on I'll take you out for some breakfast,"

* * *

That night, they were all sat in the Break room once again. With no new cases popping up for that Shift they were all still working on the W.O.S case. They had all met in the break room at the beginning of the shift just to relax for a while but they're conversations had quickly turned to their bodyguards who would be arriving sometime that night. 

"This is gonna be so cool," said Greg "We get to spend time with real life Spies."

"I doubt their as cool as the movies make out Greg," Warrick uttered. "Most likely there just gonna be like the FBI agents that we see all the time," Grissom sat at the head of the table without saying a word. He and Catherine had gone to breakfast that morning but had avoided this very conversation and talked about other things.

"Do we have any idea on how close these guys are gonna be?" Sara asked. Gil suddenly realised that everyone was looking at him. "Are they gonna watching from a distance or really breathing down our necks?" Gil shook his head before answering.

"I don't know Sara, but I'm not really that happy about someone invading my personal space either," All the faces in the room looked very solemn. "But it should only be for a couple of weeks," Suddenly they could hear muffled shouting down the corridor. Gil stood up and waked towards the closed door. As he opened it, the shouting really increased in volume. When the door was fully open, they heard a scream and then a gunshot. Instinctively, everyone hit the deck to get themselves out of harms way. Gil had also lowered himself at the door. He turned back towards his team to see them all on the floor, their eyes wide with fear. He looked back down the corridor to see several men running towards them. They were wearing long grey coats that cascaded down to the back of their knees. The coats weren't fastened and underneath he could see the black padding of some kind of body armour. Their faces were hidden by black ski masks and they were carrying a different array of guns. Ranging from Ak-47s to the smaller desert eagle. Behind them, he could see more men running out of reception and heading down the opposite corridors with several of the lab workings cowering at the sight of the gunmen. He had counted six men coming towards him and four disappearing in the opposite direction. He slowly coward away from the door but he continued to look towards the gunmen. He saw a tall one points in two directions before two of his partners ran in those directions. The door slowly began to shut under it own weight. It creaked, causing the tall man to notice the room and it occupants. He smiled, causing the mask to move slightly and then he lifted the semi-automatic weapon in his hand towards the room.

* * *

The air had changed outside the lab from the tension and the large amount of police cars that had parked outside at various angles. Their sirens were switched off but the lights were still flashing causing the red and blue flashing on the nearby walls. Brass was stuck outside and he hated that. He knew that his friends were trapped inside being held against their own will and that crushed him inside. He stood behind the hood of one of the police cars as he watched a small group of heavily armoured policemen making their way towards the front entrance. They tried their best to keep themselves as close to the wall as possible as to avoid being seen. The man at the front held a bullet-proof shield in front of him just in case as another officer stayed close behind him carrying the box that contained the secure phone. They approached the entrance door and stopped. The second man threw the box, which loudly banged against the glass door. They then retreated back, out of harms way and back towards the numerous police cars. He stood with the other end of the line in his hand waiting for someone to answer. He saw a tall man in a ski mask, walk up to the door and look through the glass pane down at the dark box on the ground. He then looked around to check it was clear before opening the door slightly and reaching out to grab the box. He retreated inside taking the box with him under his arm. Brass waited for what seemed like an age before he heard someone speak through the phone. He quickly lifted the receiver to his ear. 

"This is Captain Jim Brass of the Las Vegas Police, who is this?" he asked. There were a few moments of silence on the other end before he heard them speak.

"Never mind that, I hope we can settle this without resorting to violence but should it come to that, do not doubt, we will do whatever is necessary to get what we want," The voice was very deep and seemed to contain an slight accent that had been chiselled away by years of American life.

"And what is it that you want?" Jim asked. Once again there was a few seconds of silence before he got an answer.

"In exchange for the hostage's lives," Jim's blood boiled at the notion of his friends being held hostage. "We want the full pardon and release of Peter Lambert. We also want any evidence to be destroyed regarding the investigation into the racial murders that he was arrested for. You have until 9am to release Peter and to destroy the evidence. If our demands are met then the hostages will go free but if you don't then we will have to take more drastic measures," Jim head the other end of the line cut off and he sighed before shutting off his receiver.

"Jim!" He heard a familiar voice behind him say and he turned to see the Sheriff walking towards him. "Have you spoke to them Jim?" The Sheriff's face was a picture of worry. Probably more worried about the media blowing this out of proportion than the welfare of his lab rats.

"Yes sir, I just spoke with one of them," Jim answered. "They're demanding the release of Peter Lambert and the destruction of any evidence relating to his crimes," The Sheriff shook his head and sighed.

"We don't negotiate with hostage takers Jim," He spoke quietly, intent on keeping the conversation between him and Brass. "This is no exception," Another officer walked up behind them and coughed to get their attention. As soon as they heard the cough, they both turned around. "Ah Jim, this is Sergeant Williamson, SWAT Commander," Jim outstretched his arm and gave the guy a quick look over. He was tall, probably about 6"1'. He had short dark hair and he was wearing a tuxedo. Williamson took Jim's hand and shook it quickly. "He's from the LAPD. His team is here for a conference and has offered to help us,"

"We'll help however we can," Williamson added. A younger LVPD cop approached them carrying a large folded piece of paper.

"The building layout you asked for Sheriff," The young cop handed him the paper. The Sheriff grabbed the paper from him and began unfolding it on top of the hood of next police car. Jim saw that they were plans for the lab building. Williamson joined them and also looked down at the layout before them before sighing.

"Well there's nothing distinctive that pops out at me as an easy way in apart from the front entrance or one of the fire escapes," He pointed to the many fire escapes on the ground floor before looking at the second floor layout. "The second floor we can't reach. What about the roof?" He turned to the Sheriff who quickly looked at Jim for an answer seen as he used to work in the building.

"Well, there's no direct access through the roof apart from the ventilation system but there's nowhere for you to drop out of inside," He said after a few seconds thought. "Because it's designed to be a secure building with the evidence vault inside so the entire ventilation system is designed so it can't be used for access," A slight humming noise filled the air. They all looked around to see what the noise was. It increased in volume and continued to get louder until it was recognisable.

"That's a chopper," said one of the members of the SWAT team that had followed Williamson. He pointed behind them as a very large Chinook slowly flew overhead. The air blew around them as it passed causing the leaves on the nearby trees to dance around following the breeze. The massive helicopter slowed to a hover and lowered towards the ground. It lowered into an empty space on the other side of the car park but it soon became obvious that it was too large to land in that space. Once it was about 5 feet from the ground, the side door opened and one person jumped out and landed on his feet. He was wearing a dark red jumpsuit and some light body armour on his torso. His hair was short and dark. He began walking towards the police officers before three more jumped out the side door and began following him. They were all wearing the same red suits and armour. The Chinook rotated and the back door began to open, creating a ramp that was only foot or so off the ground. Slowly a SUV began to roll out of the back and onto the ground making the final bounce as it left the sanctity of the Chinook. Jim was shocked that the massive Humvee could be transported in such away and by telling that the way the Sheriff was staring, he didn't believe it either. The group approached them as the Humvee slowly followed behind.

"Captain Brass?" The lead one shouted. Brass was still a little shocked at what he had seen but he quickly came round.

"Yes, I'm Captain Brass," Jim said. The lead one turned to him and quickly held out his hand.

"Lieutenant Billy Savage," Jim met his hand and shook it. "We've been assigned to protect Dr Grissom and his team but it looks like things have developed a little," He said pointing towards the lab. His English accent wasn't strong but it stood out as different. The Chinook closed it back door and began to fly away. Everyone watched as it increased its height and took off, flying over the lab and into the distance. They all turned when the door to the Humvee slammed shut and a tall blonde man joined them.

"Only five of you?" The Sheriff asked over Jims shoulder. "We were expecting six," The five people nodded before Billy continued.

"Unfortunately, our Captain has been detained but he's on his way," He quickly shook the Sheriff's hand. "He sent us on ahead and we were flying over Colorado when we heard the news so we got here a soon as we could," He held his hand up to his ear. Jim saw that he was wearing a small headset, like a hands free kit for a mobile phone. Billy didn't say anything to it; it just looked like he was listening to something. He looked back towards them. "Have you got the plans for the building at hand?" Jim nodded and turned back towards the police car where the building layout was stretched across the bonnet. Billy looked over it slowly, his face looking concerned. Williamson joined him and they both began discussing their options. Jim listened closely to them.

"Well from the speed they came out and picked up that secure phone, its more than likely that they have a few people keeping an eye out or if they've professionals they're using the CCTV system to view the outside," Williamson said as he pointed to the front door on the map.

"There is small monitor in the reception area and the main collection of monitors is in the CCTV room on the second floor the security guards," Brass said as he pointed at a small room on the second floor. "But the video can also been watched on any of the networked pc's in the building,"

"Captain Brass?" A voice said behind him. "Do they have internet access on those pcs?" Jim turned and saw that it was the blonde man who was asking him the question. Jim looked at him blankly for a minute trying to remember this name from the photos that they had been given. "Sorry, Lieutenant Steven Bullock," They both shook hands before Jim answered him.

"Yeah, I've seen people use them to access to the internet," As he said it he saw a small smile on Steven's face.

"You think you can hack it?" Billy asked. Steve shrugged his shoulders.

"Depends how smart the technician that built the system was," He said reluctantly. "But if it's got internet access I can hack it," Billy nodded and Steve ran back to the Humvee he had got out of.

"Ok guys, listen up!" Billy said as he walked back over to the map of the building. "Were gonna make an attempted at entry, and were gonna use these two fire escapes to do it," He pointed to a fire door on each side of the building. "I'm also gonna need two snipers watching the building. One from the east and one from the west if possible. There appears to be two high rise offices on those sides that look like excellent vantage points," He turned to Williamson. "Sergeant, I'm gonna need to borrow one of your best sharpshooters,"

"Whatever you need," He turned and whispered to one of his crew who ran off to deliver the order.

"Right, Kim," He looked towards a short brunette girl who was stood among the crowd. She held up her hand to him to stop him from continuing with his little speech.

"Please tell me I'm gonna be the one busting down the doors this time?" She asked. He smiled at her and she smiled back slightly.

"Sorry sweetheart, I need you on the roof watching my ass," She sighed and shook her head.

"Such a nice ass too" She grumbled under her breath as she walked to the SUV.

"Danni and Wayne, you guys have got the east door and me and Steve will go in using the west door," Billy pointed to Steve who was still sat in the car. He stuck up his thumb to indicate he had heard. "Right guys, go get dressed," Billy, Danni and Wayne walked through the crowd and round the back of the Hummer where Kim had just opened the boot door. She reached in and pulled out a large silver case and placed it on the floor. She pulled out another black case and opened it on the parcel shelf. Jim walked over to them just out of curiosity. He saw the black case contained more of the radios that Billy was wearing. She pulled one out of it protective foam and placed onto her ear. She did the same with the rest and handed them to her team mates. She turned to Brass and smiled at him. She pulled out the last one and handed it to him.

"It's better that you listen in, just in case we need advice on the building or the people inside," She said causing him to smile back. He took the device and placed it over his ear like everyone else had done. "It's a multi channelling system so many people can talk at the same time," She reached down and picked up the silver case by her feet.

"Thanks for this, I'm really worried about them," Jim said as she brushed past him. He was talking about his friends inside and that made the knots in his stomach, jump up into his throat. She stopped and turned back to him.

"Don't worry about it; they've got the best people working for them. You'll be eating breakfast with them before you can say 'Spanish Omelettes'," She walked away and out of the car park towards the nearby office building. He stifled a laugh and then turned back towards the others. They were quickly fitting into some heavier body armour. Jim took a quick look into the back of the Humvee and saw an arsenal. A large collection of weapons and armour. Small crates containing different types of ammo with little white stickers with the caliber written on the side. There was a large amount of different cases that he presumed contained more equipment if not a change of clothes for them as they would be staying for a while. It was all in precise order, all easily accessible in an emergency. It reminded him of the company SUVs that the CSI crew were given, everything in the right place. Suddenly he heard, one of the cars front door open and a shout from the inside. They all ran round to the front of the vehicle, where Steven had placed a laptop on the hood of the car.

"I'm in," He said as they looked over his shoulder at the laptop screen. It showed surveillance footage from the numerous cameras in the lab. They could see several gunmen stalking around the corridors.

"Well if they're also using the cameras on the outside, they're gonna need shutting down before we make our move," Danni added with her soft English voice.

"I've already got that covered," Steve said rather proudly. "Hit the return button, the system shuts down the outside cameras. Hit it again and the entire security system goes down including the locks on the fire escapes and the lights on the inside,"

"Nice," Billy said from behind Danni. "Jim that's gonna be your job, when we give you the signal hit return once and the outside cameras will shut off and then we'll give you a second signal to shut down the entire thing," Jim nodded and Steve motioned for him to sit in the Hummer's drivers seat. Jim did and soon found himself with the laptop on his knee. The three men and woman returned to the back of the Humvee and returned a few minutes later wearing heavier armour and carrying some brand new M4 carbines. They continued to stand around the Humvee. They had left the Humvee door open and the boot door too. Jim didn't know why they had but he didn't question it. They split up into twos and wished each other luck before finding a decent starting point. Jim heard clear speaking on his headset. "Ok, everyone report,"

"Blue team standing ready for first push to east entrance point," Jim could easily tell that it was Danni speaking.

"Vantage 1, standing by, watching the west side of the building," Kim said.

"Vantage 2, standing by, watching the east side of the building," Said the borrowed officer that Williamson had provided for them.

"Jim, you ready?" Billy asked.

"Ready and waiting," Jim answered quickly.

"Ok shut down the outside cameras when you're ready," Jim reached down and pressed the return button on the keyboard of the laptop. He saw a quick flutter on the screen and a message on several of the cameras saying 'No Signal'. The internal cameras were still working and nobody on the inside looked any the wiser.

"The cameras are down, move when your ready," what seemed like an eternity passed before he heard anything.

"Red team, Stacking up on the west door, ready and waiting," He heard Billy say in his ear.

"Blue team is stacked up on the west door, awaiting entry order,"

"Ok Vantage 1 and 2. You guys got an eye on anything?"

"Nope. West side is clear," Kim answered from her perch before the other sniper answered the same for the east side.

"Right everyone's ready; Jim cut the security system inside on the count of three. Ok?"

"I'm ready when ever you are," Jim answered still looking down at the laptop screen.

"One…Two…Thr,"

"Stop!" The voice echoed across the radio system. It was voice Jim didn't recognise at all. It was definitely a voice he had never heard before.

"Who was that?" Jim asked.

* * *

_A/N: God I love leaving things on the edge, it really get you thinking doesn't it? Please Review._


	4. Inside Action

_A/N: Sorry about leaving it on edge. Anyway, I want to thank everyone who reviewed. I really enjoyed writing this chapter and I hope you enjoy it._

* * *

The gunmen had approached them, backing them into a corner of the break room. They all bunched together many of them shaking from fear. A few more gunmen entered the room with their guns held ready behind him. They dragged all of them upstairs to the second floor where they were locked in one of the new meeting rooms. It seemed to be just the team in this room; Grissom presumed that the rest of the lab workers were in the next meeting room along. The meeting room windows were frosted glass so they couldn't see out into the corridor which was a disadvantage. As was the fact that their side arms were kept in their lockers when they were in the lab. Through the frosted glass he could make out someone standing guard outside the door. Gil paced up and down the length of the room and decided to look around at everyone in the room mainly out of boredom. Warrick was sat on the meeting table trying to keep Catherine calm as she sat on a nearby chair. Nick and Greg were sat on the other side of the table with their heads in their hands, obviously trying to gauge the situation. Sara was sat on the floor away from everyone with her knees pulled up against her test and her hand covering her eyes. Gil had only seen her once like this before so he slowly walked up to her, trying not to startle her. 

"Sara?" He asked as he bent down besides her. "You ok?" She looked up as her sat beside her and tried to smile. She gently pushed the hair back that had fallen in front of her eyes before speaking.

"Well I've been better," She said jokingly. She was trying to make the situation seem better than it was which caused Gil to laugh a little. There was sudden mad rush outside as someone seemed to run down the corridor to the top if the stairs.

"Johnny!" They were screaming down the stairs. "They're sending in a secure phone outside the frontdoor!" Whoever was shouting then ran back down the corridor and Gil heard a door slam. Everyone was looking towards the door of the meeting room. There seemed to be a multiple sigh before everyone turned and continued doing whatever they were doing before they were interrupted.

"What is going on?" Sara asked. Gil also sighed.

"I don't know," He began to tap his fingers on his knees. "But it can't be good,"

* * *

Downstairs, Johnny had heard the message from upstairs and was slowly making his way towards the front entrance. He had taken off his balaclava as he was much interested in hiding his face inside the building. As he approached the reception area, two of his partners had joined him. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his mask and pulled it over his head. They heard a loud bang against the reception doors. He looked around the corner and quickly saw a group of cops retreating away from the doors and back towards the numerous cop cars that littered the car park. 

"Cover me," He said to the other two behind him. He slowly slipped round the corner and crept towards the doors. He immediately saw the green box on the other side of the glass. He slowly opened the doors and quickly checked around just to be sure that it was clear. When he knew it was clear he reached and grabbed the box. He carried it inside so that he was out of view again. He set it down on one of the lab benches and removed his ski mask. He opened the lid and pulled out the receiver. A couple of the gunmen had gathered in the room, intent on hearing the conversation. Johnny lifted the receiver to his ear just in time to hear someone talking.

"This is Captain Jim Brass of the Las Vegas Police, who is this?" Johnny thought about exactly what he needed to say before answering.

"Never mind that, I hope we can settle this without resorting to violence but should it come to that, do not doubt, we will do whatever is necessary to get what we want," He tried his best to show as much of his accent as possible but his English accent had been watered down.

"And what is it that you want?" Whoever he was, this Jim Brass liked to right to business. Johnny had to think once again about what he was going to say.

"In exchange for the hostage's lives, we want the full pardon and release of Peter Lambert. We also want any evidence to be destroyed regarding the investigation into the racial murders that he was arrested for. You have until 9am to release Peter and to destroy the evidence. If our demands are met then the hostages will go free but if you don't then we will have to take more drastic measures," Johnny practically threw the headset back into the box and slammed shut the lid. He looked around the room at the balaclava covered faces before telling them to get back to their positions. The room quickly emptied. Suddenly a low humming noise filled the lab. He looked round for the source of the noise but the noise faded and disappeared. Johnny sighed and left the room. He walked along the corridor and up the stairs towards the meeting room where the hostage were being kept. He walked towards the guard who stepped aside when the humming noise filled the air again this time it grew louder than before and then it just stopped again. He turned to the guard.

"You hear that?" The guard nodded his head. Johnny continued down the corridor towards the security room. The room was right at the end of the corridor next to the bathroom. He opened the door to the room and he saw Jimmy, who had also taken off his mask, sat at the desk watching the screens on the wall. Johnny stepped into the room, leaving the door open behind him. "Any idea what that noise was?" Jimmy turned at the sound of his voice.

"Nope but it could had just the traffic. I got a perfect view of the cops outside and they haven't done anything beside drop off the phone," They both turned towards the open door when they heard walking down the corridor. They saw another gunman, walking towards them. He was still wearing his mask and his AK was hanging from his shoulder by the strap.

"Hey Phil, you having fun yet?" He said to the guard standing outside the meeting room as he passed him.

"Hey Andy?" Phil answered. Andy stopped and turned towards him. "Blow me!" He said as he stuck his middle finger up. Andy bellowed out a laugh and continued into the bathroom. Johnny looked back at Jimmy who sighed before turning back to the screens.

"Everything alright downstairs?" Jimmy asked.

"Yeah, no problems so far and now they know our demands," Johnny answered while leaning against a nearby desk. "All we have to do now is wait," He turned and walked out the door towards the other rooms. He walked over to the meeting room and entered the room. The people inside looked up from their various places. The guard followed him into the room and stood besides the door. Jimmy stopped watching the screens as he heard Andy walk out of the bathroom. He walked down the corridor before stopping and also entering the room. Andy stood on the other side of the door and shut it behind him. The people inside were frightened and looked a little tired. Johnny looked at both Andy and Phil before someone spoke out in the room.

"What do you want?" said the grey haired man who looked slightly older than the rest of the room. Johnny shook his head.

"Don't worry, as long as you behave and our demands are met by your friends outside, you will not be harmed," Johnny answered very calmly. He proceeded to tell his captives their demands and how and when they would be released when the demands came through. Jimmy sat in the room still watching over the several screen. He sighed and stood up leaving the room. Just as he did several of the screens went black with the words 'No Signal' in flashing in yellow letters. He took the few steps to the bathroom door and checked down the hall to see that Johnny was still in the meeting room with Andy and Phil. He opened the door and stepped in. He followed the small hall and found himself surrounded by glinting white tiles. He walked up the middle booth and pushed open the door. He looked up and saw Andy unconscious and covered in bruises, slumped up against the lavatory wall. He wasn't wearing any clothes apart from his underwear. Hadn't he just seen Andy walk out of the bathroom and into the meeting room with Johnny? It suddenly dawned on him that he hadn't seen Andy leaving the bathroom. It had been someone else. He slowly made his way out the bathroom and towards the meeting room, trying to remain calm. Inside, Warrick had taken a defensive stance.

"You really think that holding us hostage is gonna get what you want," He was practically shouting. "The city doesn't negotiate with hostage takers, especially to get some white trash Nazi out of jail," Johnny suddenly changed colour it looked like he was about the burst. He pulled a small calibre gun out from underneath his jacket and pointed it directly at Warrick. The muzzle was only a few centimetres away from his forehead. There was a sudden squeak from everyone in the room.

"If our demands aren't met, trust me! Your nigger blood will be the first to stain the carpet," Warrick expression never changed as a slight pull from Nick, pulled him backwards and further away from the gun. Johnny lowered his gun to his side. The team cowered against the table, Sara never taking her eye off their captors. The door opened and another entered the room. This one was also not wearing his mask. He shut the door and walked over to Johnny and whispered something in his ear. Johnny eyes went wide and he looked to the gunman on his left. He was tall and had very broad shoulders just like Andy. His gun was still hanging from his shoulder and his hands were down by his side. Jimmy walked between him and the gunman so that both sides were covered. Johnny turned back to the crowd around the table and began speaking again. "It seems that something has developed and I'm gonna have to kill someone," At the sudden news Sara's eyes darted to and from each of the gunmen in the room. She saw the one on the left wink at her from underneath his mask. Johnny quickly spun round and pointed his gun at the gunman. Sara watched on, as everything seemed to happen in slow motion.

"Stop!" Shouted the gunman before lurching forward and grabbing Johnny's arm just above the wrist. He bent it down causing the bone to snap and then back up causing the bone to snap again. The gun fell from Johnny's hand towards the floor as he opened his mouth to scream. Before he could, the gunman spun and threw his elbow into Johnny's face sending him flying to the floor. Phil lifted his AK towards the intruder but before he could get a shot off, the gun was grabbed and flipped causing the butt of the gun to connect with his chin causing him to stumble backwards. Jimmy pulled out his silenced sidearm and fired a shot, catching the intruder on the back of his upper arm. The intruder let out a whelp obviously trying to suppress the amount of sound in the room. He turned and threw the AK towards Jimmy who ducked down to avoid it before it smacked against the wall behind him. Jimmy came back up to find that the intruder was standing right in front of him. He kicked Jimmy's legs out from underneath him and Jimmy began to fall to the floor. As he was in mid air, the intruder landed a punch on Jimmy's chest sending him slamming into the hard floor knocking him out. Phil ran towards the intruder, but as he got close the intruder moved to the side and sent another punch right into his face causing Phil to flip and slam against the floor. Johnny was laid out on the floor as he looked down at his wrist, which was bent up towards his elbow in an unnatural way. With his free hand he dragged himself along the floor and lent against the wall. He cradled his obviously broken wrist in his lap as he continued to stare at the intruder. Everyone watched as the still masked man used some nearby brown parcel tape to tie the unconscious bodies up with their hands behind their backs and a strip of tape over their mouths. He turned towards Johnny who was know breathing very heavily, maybe heading towards shock. The intruder covered his mouth with tape to prevent him from calling for help. Sara continued to look on as did the rest of the team. She leaned over to Gil who was next to her and whispered to him.

"What is going on?" Before he could answer, the intruder stood back up and took a few steps back. Suddenly he spoke from underneath the balaclava.

"Johnny," He said to make sure he had the injured mans full attention. Johnny just sat there still holding his wrist with small sighs of pain calling from underneath the brown tape over his lips. "I want to see the look on your face when you realise who this is," He reached up and pulled the mask up and over his head. Underneath was a set of dark brown eyes and fairly light skin. The was a slight amount of stubble on his neck and above his top lip showing he hadn't shaved for a few days. At the pure sight of the face, Johnny's began to hyperventilate and shake. He began to scream but it was muffled out by the tape. His eyes were wide and showed his fear at the man stood in front of him. Suddenly his eye slipped into the back of his head and he slumped to one side as he went unconscious. The intruder turned to them and smiled. A small amount of blood began to trickle down his arm and drip onto the tile floor. His suddenly looked very sleepy before falling to one knee in front of them. Gil rushed to him to stop him from falling over completely. The wounded man looked up and smiled to silently thank him. The rest of the team stood up and took the few steps towards their saviour. Grissom let go of him as he returned to his standing position. He shook his head to try and shake off the light-headedness caused by the quick loss of blood. "I hate losing blood like that, it's like getting drunk but without the fun first," They all gave a questioning look at each other before looking back. Sara was the first to speak and she asked the question they wanted to ask.

"Who are you?" He looked towards her at the sound of her voice.

"Sorry, I always forget to introduce myself," He took off the grey jacket he had borrowed from Andy and ripped the clean sleeve from the jacket and then down the seam. "Major James Phoenix," He tied the sleeve around his arm just to stop the bleeding. It didn't help much and the bandage soon began to turn red as the blood soaked into it. They were all in shock and didn't speak. They just stared as he began speaking into a headset. "Red leader, this is Phoenix. I have secured the packages and the second floor," He listened to someone reply before continuing. "No, I haven't. I'm gonna let you guys stretch your legs a little, you can clear it when your ready," A few seconds passed before the lights went out. There were sudden loud bangs and several gunshots coming from downstairs. James put his back against the wall and opened the door slightly. He saw that the hallway was clear through the small gap and he fully opened the door. He slowly walked out, checking both directions as he did. With the lights out, the hallway was dark but with the flashing police lights outside the hallway skipped between red and blue. He signalled for the scientists to wait as he exited. They heard another door open and a few seconds later he reappeared. "Come on, lets get you guys out of here," He whispered. They all quietly followed still aware of the gunfire downstairs. They stepped out into the hall to see all the other lab staff had been released from the next room and had their backs against the wall. James walked passed them towards the top of the stairs. He backed against the wall just before the corner. There were quick footsteps coming up the stairs towards him. Two gunmen ran quickly passed him, not noticing him.

"Where did those guys come from?" Said one to the other. They suddenly noticed the lab workers against the wall. "What are you guys doing out here?" There was a loud snap as James came up behind him, twisting his neck to the left. The body went limp and fell to the floor. The other gunman turned from the noise.

"Oh god, another one!" He ran down the corridor panicking, trying desperately to get away with his life. He pulled out a small calibre weapon and pointed it behind him down the corridor. There was a loud bang followed by shattering glass as a bullet flew through the windows and collided with the gunman left leg. He dropped his gun and collapsed to the floor.

"He's down," Kim spoke over the radio. James just smiled. There we more footstep coming up the stairs.

"James?" Two people turned the corner. They both had blonde hair but one was a man and the other a women. Gil and his team didn't take much notice of their features as they were more concerned about getting to a safe place.

"What took you guys so long?" James answered. They both simply smiled back.

"The ground floor is all clear," said the girl. James nodded.

"Get these people outside," He said as he pointed to the lab workers. "I think they've had enough excitement for one night,"

* * *

Soon they were all outside, basking in the moons bright glow. All of them thankful to be out of danger. A couple of paramedics wondered through the crowd, checking everyone for injuries but finding only the occasional bump or scrape. Gil also wondered the crowd making sure everyone was ok. He saw Nick leaning against a cop car just staring up at the star filled sky. 

"Hey Nick, you alright?" Nick turned to him and smiled.

"Yeah I'm fine," Nick looked around the vast amount of people in the car park. "What about the others? Are they alright?" Gil shrugged his shoulders.

"I've only seen Warrick and Catherine," He answered. He also looked around the car park. "I haven't seen Greg or Sara at all," Suddenly Nick saw Greg talking with Brass while sipping a cup of coffee.

"Greg's over there with Brass," Nick pointed in his direction. Gil looked towards where Nick was pointing to and he saw Greg but still no sign of Sara. There was a sudden round of applause as people saw their saviours coming out of the building. They walked towards the crowd but there was a sudden scream from inside the building. Everyone looked back towards the lab. James sprinted from the group, back into the building. Gil's eyes went wide as he realised it was Sara who was screaming. He also began to run towards the building entrance but he was stopped before he got there.

"Dr. Grissom, calm down. James will handle it," He didn't know who had spoken to him as he couldn't take his eyes from the lab. Kim began to speak over the radio.

"There's still a hostage on the second floor and it looks like one of the gunman has got her," Billy quickly shouted into his head set back to her.

"Kim, take a shot!"

"I can't get a clear view of him,"

James ran through the ground floor of the lab, heading towards the stairs. He pulled a M9 from his belt and grasped it with two hands. As he hit the stairs, he took them two at a time. He turned the corner onto the second floor corridor and raised his gun. Sara was stood about half way down the corridor with a larger man stood behind her with his hand over her mouth. James recognised him as the one he had knocked out in the bathroom from the bruises and the fact that he was only wearing his underwear. James then saw the gun resting against her right temple. Sara was wide eyed and shaking in fear. James took a few steps closer, still with his gun raised towards the gunman.

"Hey!" Shouted the gunman. "Put the gun down or the bitch gets it," James did nothing just continued to step closer to them. "Don't come any closer or I'll shoot," James stopped a short distance from them. "Good, now put down the gun!" He shouted. James did nothing for a few seconds. The gunman, getting anxious, pulled the hammer back on his gun causing it to click. Sara muffled a scream into her captor's hand.

"Ok!" James shouted back as he raised his gun in the air along with his other hand to surrender. "Ok, I'm putting down the gun, please don't hurt her," He slowed lowered towards the ground and placing the gun near his leg. He stayed crouched down and kept his hand next his ankle. He glanced towards Sara who looked like she could faint any minute and gave her another wink to try and calm her a little. She noticed the wink but it didn't help. He then whispered in to his earpiece. "Kim a distraction when your ready," It was a few seconds before another bullet shattered the pane of glass behind the gunman causing him to look away and point the gun towards the shattered glass. James sprinted forward and slid down onto his knees. As he approached them, he pulled a small combat knife from the holder around his ankle. He continued to slide until he slammed against Sara's legs. He pulled her down away from the gunman's grasp and slammed the knife into the man's chest. As James held onto the knife, the gunman shrieked in pain and dropped the gun in his hand. The gunman reached to try and remove the knife but instead grabbed James upper arm, embedding his fingers into the bullet wound that had been caused earlier. James eyes went wide from the pain and he too shrieked. He let go of the knife and the gunman fell backwards, letting go of James's arm. Sara fell next to him and just slumped against the wall. James used his other hand to cover the wound as the pain subsided. Sara just continued to stare at him. Once his breathing had clamed, he removed his hand and sighed. He turned and saw her just staring at him. "Are you alright?" He asked, still on his knees. A few seconds passed as she seemed to relax a little. He stood back up noticing the continuing pain in his arm. Suddenly she leapt forward and hugged him.

"Thank you," She started to cry a little into his shoulder. "Thank you so much," She stopped when she heard a little whelp. "What's wrong?"

"Did I mention that my arm hurts," She then realised that as she hugged him, she was squeezing the wound on his arm. She released him from the hug and stepped back just in time to see the trickle of blood continue to drip on the floor.

"I'm sorry, I…" She tried to apologise but he quickly interrupted her.

"It's ok, come on let get you some fresh air," They both walked down the stairs towards the exit. She walked slightly ahead of him and didn't notice the trail of blood drops he was leaving behind them. She stepped out into the open air, realising had she had never been so happy to be out of the lab. Upon seeing Sara exit the building, the whole gang ran over to her and she met them half way, happy to see that her friends were all safe. Kim walked towards them carrying her silver case. She smiled at seeing the woman was alright. She also saw James, fall to his knees. She dropped the silver case and ran towards him.

"James!" She shouted as he fell forward and collapsed, face first to the ground. Everyone turned towards her upon hearing her shout. She reached him and rolled him over to find him unconscious. Her hands were suddenly wet and she looked down to find them covered in blood. "Somebody get an ambulance; he's lost a lot of blood!"

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_Please review and tell me what you think._


	5. Getting to Know Each Other

_A/N: Very little action in this chapter. I'm just trying to get the teams to know each other. I promise there will be some action in the next chapter. Anyway were getting close to seeing if the CSI's can handle a proper English night out which should be fun. Enjoy!_

* * *

The smell of burning flesh floated through the room. All he could see was darkness. He knew his eyes were shut but he could still sense everything in the room. The tall maple desks and their tops marked with words written by past users. He felt he was being drawn to the front of the room where thick ruby curtains hid the windows. The light scattered through them using the various small gaps as filters. Then he sensed a girl in the room. He turned and saw her gazing towards the curtains with her back to him. He took a few steps towards her and as he did the smell got worst. Suddenly the word, 'Grass' burned through the back her burgundy blazer causing it to burst to flames and fall to the floor. The word 'Grass' was burnt into the skin of her slender back. Her blonde hair was a mess and he could see the small puddle of tears around her feet. He reached forward to touch her shoulder.

"Katy?" She turned at the sound of his voice. He face was bruised and her eyes were weary.

"Why didn't you help me?"

* * *

James shot from his sleep and found himself in a lonely hospital bed. He wiped the sweat from his forehead before attempting to focus his vision. He rubbed his eyes and began to see someone's outline standing at the side of the bed, next to him.

"You alright?" Her voice sounded gentle. He turned and saw her blonde curly hair and with that perfume, he knew who it was instantly.

"Yeah I'm fine," He looked around the room and found that it was just them alone. She reached forward and placed her hand on his trying to calm his breathing.

"What did you dream about?" He reached up and checked his arm. There was a tight bandage around his upper arm which caused slight restriction of its movement. "They checked it over and it was just a flesh wound but you lost a lot of blood. They were talking about keeping you in for observation," James huffed under his breath.

"Like hell they are," He removed the white bed covers that he had been laid underneath and swung his feet out to the floor. Thankfully he was still wearing his underwear. She walked around the bed and stood next to him. He stood up with no problems apart from a slight pain in his arm. "Where's my kit Danielle?"

"You didn't answer my question James?" She crossed her arms over her chest. He knew better than to argue with her and all he could do was sigh.

"Come on Danni, you know I've had the same dream since I was 16," It was her time to sigh and she sat on the edge of the bed.

"James?" He was looking around the room for his clothes. She reached up and placed her hand on his chin forcing her to look at her. "As a team, we have slept in close proximity for the past four years. Every time, you have jumped out of your sleep in a cold sweat but I have never heard you say shout a name while you're dreaming before," He looked at her in confusion before looking around the room again.

"Huh that's a new one…anyway I'm fine," He saw his clothes draped over a nearby chair and walked over to them. He began to dress while Danielle was still sat on the bed. He carefully pulled on a black t-shirt and then the pair of dark trousers. He sat down on the chair and began pulling on his boots. He pulled the laces to make sure they were tight and he winced as a pain shot up his arm. Danielle heard him wince and she stood up off the bed.

"Do you want me to tie them for you?" She asked as she walked across the room. He continued to tie his laces but he looked up at her with a questioning look.

"I appreciate your concern Danni, but I think I can handle it," He smiled at her and she smiled back. When he had finished tying his laces, he stood up and straightened himself out. He saw a small mirror on the wall and stepped up to it. His hair was a complete mess. He used his hands to try and straighten it out but with no real luck.

"Where are the guys?"

"I left them watching the lab," She answered. "We didn't want to be in the way while they were getting that place back up and running so were just watching the place for now," James nodded his approval and turned to her. His hair was still a mess but it looked a little more presentable. The door to the room opened and a tall man wearing a white lab coat entered. He had his nose into a file and didn't realise the two were staring at him.

"Mr. Phoenix?" He final looked up from the file and noticed the patient was out of bed. "I'm Doctor Belkin, how are you feeling?"

"Fit as a fiddle Doc," He lifted his wounded arm and flexed it showing the muscles underneath the sleeve of the t-shirt. "Come on Danni, let get going," They both began to walk towards the door. James opened it and ushered Danni through it.

"Mr. Phoenix, I really think you should stay here for a few more hours for observations," James turned in the door and grabbed the handle.

"Thanks for the invitation Doc, but I got work to do," He slammed the door shut and followed Danni out of the hospital. As they stepped out into the Nevada sun, she pointed to the Hummer in a nearby parking space. "Just out of curiosity Danni, what name did I shout in my sleep?" She stopped and looked at him quizitively.

"Sara,"

* * *

The shift had been pretty much uneventful mainly due to the fact that lab was being fixed up from the night before. They had gone over the evidence from the racial case again making sure none of it was damaged or missing. They hadn't seen their bodyguards since James had been taken off in the ambulance the night before but somehow they knew that they were safe. Nick was checking the integrity of each piece of evidence as Sara ticked off the different items as the appeared from the different storage boxes.

"The fingerprints from the mantelpiece look ok as do the crime scene photographs," He looked up at Sara to find her staring into thin air. He cleared his throat a few times but still she stared. He looked behind him out into the corridor but couldn't see anything special. "Why didn't you take the leave that Grissom offered you?" He knew that starting a conversation with Sara about leave would break her concentration on anything and of course he was right. She snapped out of her daze as soon as he finished his sentence.

"Because I'm fine," She adjusted her stance as to warn Nick off the topic. Their beepers went off almost simultaneously. They both read the message and then gave a confused look at each other. They quickly sealed up the evidence again and made their way to the break room. When they arrived, they saw Greg stood with Warrick. "Hey guys, what's with the page?"

"Yeah, 'Important! Break room now!'?" They turned round to see Grissom and Catherine walking into the room.

"Hey Grissom, what's with the page?" Warrick asked.

"I didn't send it, I got the same message as everyone else," He said as he shrugged his shoulders.

"I sent out the message," Ecklie said from the doorway. He took a few steps into the room. "I heard that they were on their way here and I thought I'd get both teams together for a proper introduction," There was a knock on the open door as the receptionist popped her head in.

"Mr.Ecklie," He turned towards her. "They have arrived and are waiting in reception,"

"Ok Judie, you can let them in," She walked out of the room and disappeared around a corner. Ecklie turned back towards his nightshift. "I'm told the lab will be full operational again by your next shift tomorrow night. We still don't have a way of processing DNA until they fix the machine or replace it so if you've catalogued the evidence your team can have the rest of the shift off," Everyone in the room looked shocked at Conrad's sudden generosity. He left the room as quickly as he had entered. Sara was looking at Greg when she saw his eyes grow wide. She turned round and stared down the corridor just in time to see them turn the corner. All six of them, wearing the red jump suits and the black body armour on their torsos. She couldn't see them carrying any weapons but she did notice the white bandage on James' upper arm. He was walking in front of his team, obviously very proud of them. His hair was a little messed up but he still looked respectable. Danielle walked next to him with her curly blonde hair waving over her shoulders. She seemed to be on James' arm most of the time, maybe there was a little thing going on between them. Billy and Kim were behind them, Kim still carrying that silver case around with her. Steve was walking with Wayne a few feet behind. They all looked relaxed, no real expression of their faces. A few of the lab workers noticed their presence as they continued down the corridor towards the break room. They quickly entered the room, nobody really saying a word. After a few moments of silence, James held out his hand towards Gil.

"Dr. Grissom?" Gil nodded his head and shook his hand. James' accent was stronger than the others but it didn't sound like an average English accent. "We heard so much about you Doctor, the Police chiefs in Scotland Yard talk about you and your bugs constantly," Grissom blushed slightly from the praise. "I just wished we had met under happier circumstances,"

"I want to thank you for what you did last night, we are all extremely grateful," Gil motioned to his team who nodded in agreement. James smiled and shook his head. "What can we do you repay you,"

"Don't worry about it Doc," James answered. Danielle stepped forward and whispered something in his ear. "Actually Doc, we haven't had a decent meal since we left England 3 months ago, army rations just aren't what they once were. So if you know of a place, we were wondering if you'd like to join us for some breakfast?" A mobile phone went off in the room and Gil looked at his team who shook their heads none f them recognising the ring tone. James reached into his pocket and pulled out a slim mobile phone. He flipped it open and placed it against his ear. "Phoenix… Yes sir?.. Ok, where are they?… right thanks boss," He closed the phone and slipped it back in his pocket. He turned back to Grissom. "So Breakfast?" Gil looked round at his team before answering.

"Sure, but on one condition," He paused for a few moments before continuing. "I pay for everything," Everyone grinned and laughed a little.

"You've got yourself a deal Doc. Are you guys good to go now or do you need to wait till the end of your shift?"

"Actually we've just been given the rest of the shift off so we can go now," Gil answered. James turned to his team and looked down at their clothes.

"I don't think we need our armour to eat do we. It's a good job we brought some other clothes with us," He turned back to Gil. "You guys have a garage here right?" Gil nodded. "Guys, go get the car and take it to the garage. There's a surprise for us there apparently," His team nodded and left the room. Gil turned to Greg.

"Greg? Will you go and show them where it is please," Gil asked him. Greg simply nodded and also left the room trying to catch them up. "You guys need anything before we go?" he said to the remainder of his team.

"Yeah, I need my purse from the locker room," Catherine said as she walked out the door. Sara smiled.

"Yeah, me too," She said as she also darted from the room. Nick and Warrick also left the room agreeing to meet them in the garage in about 10 minutes.

"You need to do anything before we go Doc?" James asked. Gil quickly checked his pockets and found his wallet in his back pocket. He lifted up for James to see.

"Nope, got everything I need right here,"

"Come on then Doc; show me where the Garage is," Gil smiled and escorted James from the room and through the winding corridors to the Garage. As they approached the glass Grissom could see that there were two cars in the parked in the garage. One was what Gil presumed was the black Hummer that they had brought with them. The other was smaller car but it was hidden from sight by a silver sheet that hid its entire body. There were several large silver boxes and cases either on the floor near the work benches or on the work benches themselves. James walked passed Grissom and opened the door into the Garage. He held it open for Gil who was still surprised at the contents of the room. He slowly entered the room and noticed another man in the room. He was short, around 5'8 and was wearing a business suit. His silver hair was short much like Grissom's but unlike his it didn't curl; it was spiked up a little instead. The man was looking down at a clipboard and didn't notice them enter the room. "Brains!" James shouted. The man looked up and sighed. He slid the thin framed glasses up his nose.

"I do wish you wouldn't call me that, Mr. Phoenix," He said as he stared at James. James laced his fingers in front of him in mock.

"And how many times must have I told you not to call me that?" James answered back. Gil looked on as 'Brains' sighed again.

"My name is Daniel; in future I would like to be referred to as my real name. Not the nickname you guys gave me, which seems to of spread throughout the office," James laughed. Gil also laughed a little but tried to keep it under his breath. "Now 'James', I would like to get on with this so where is the rest of your team?"

"Their bringing the car round," James answered. He pointed to the several items in the room. "Is this stuff for me?" Daniel nodded his head just as James' team and the CSI's wondered into the room. James and Gil both noted that James's team was not wearing their armour anymore and had adopted some normal clothes. Nothing fashionable, just standard clothing. The guys were wearing different shirts and trousers while the girls were wearing black tank tops and jeans. Everyone looked round the room, surprised at the messiness of the room.

"Brains!" Billy shouted. Daniel quickly shot a look at him. James shot up his hand before Daniel could start ranting again.

"When your ready 'Daniel'," He said with a smirk on his face. Daniel sighed and looked down at the clipboard.

"Ok, this is the new equipment that has been assigned to you by Thomas Edgar. Now some of it is fully tested and some of it is experimental," He walked over to one of the tall silver cases and pressed a few numbers into a keypad on the front. The silver case clicked and Daniel opened it with his free hand. "Six new sets of body armour," Inside, the red and black armour shone. "We have improved them a little using Kevlar surrounding a half an inch of reinforced titanium on the front and back. We've been altering the titanium a little and made it slightly lighter which means that the suits are lighter but stronger. I have also fitted them with a name tag on the back so that you can recognise each other," He walked over to the Hummer and continued talking. "One Hummer H2 kitted out exactly like your other one. The only improvement we've made is this one has the standard 3 inch armour making it completely bullet-proof,"

"Isn't the standard 1 and a half inches?" Steve asked from the back.

"Under testing we found that 1.5 inches will pretty much stop all bullets but not high velocity ones from like a sniper rifle so we upgraded it. The ignition uses finger print technology which has been programmed with your finger prints and those of the people you're protecting just incase," He walked over to another smaller case on work bench. He pressed a few more number into the key pad on the front. "This is a gift from me, there in the experimental phase but I could use them getting some real field action," He reached into the box and pulled two small silver frames. "I call them 'Shockers', their designed to take the shock of a large fall rather than you breaking your legs upon landing. You wear them on the top of half of you legs, and these little rods will hand down below your knees. If you do fall, all you have to do is bend your knees so your feet are behind you and the prongs will take all the shock of the fall and bounce you back to your feet," Everyone smiled at Daniel's pride in his invention. "But I only have one set so I'll let you guys argue over them," He walked over to the opposite workbench to some stack white boxes. "With Las Vegas being a large urban area, Mr. Edgar has decided that your armour might make you stand out so he's given you these, but you can look through those later,"

"What about this Brains?" Billy said pointing to the covered vehicle. Daniel walked over to it, ignoring Billy use of his nickname.

"This is also a gift from Mr.Edgar," He reached down and grabbed the edge of the sheet. "He seems to believe that you might benefit from 'a fast response vehicle' so I thought of this," He pulled back on the sheet revealing the car underneath. James eyes went wide at the sight of the black metallic paint work on the body "I've been working on her for about a year. She's a brand new BMW M3. I've been tweaking under the hood and improved her horsepower big time. She also kitted out with the standard stuff like the plated body armour and I've cleared out the boot for extra storage," He turned and threw a set of keys to James. "Happy Birthday, Mr. Phoenix," James caught the keys a laughed a little. "Well I should get going," He walked over to James and handed him the clipboard and a pen from the inside pocket of his jacket. James quickly scribbled his signature onto the page and handed it back to him with the pen.

"Were going out for some breakfast Daniel, you fancy joining us?" Danielle asked from behind them. Daniel looked at her and shook his head.

"Sorry I have to catch a flight in the next hour. I have to meet some contacts in Cuba," He saluted them and left the room. James walked over and ran the tips of his fingers along the silver stripes along the driver door. He then looked down at the keys in his hand and then at the saloon car before him.

"Why do I think that you guys have something to do with this," He turned and looked at his team. They all shrugged their shoulders and James just shook his head.

"I hate to be the one to say this, but can we go? I'm starving!" Kim muttered. James nodded and they all split up. Danielle and Wayne walked up and sat in the front of the Hummer. They were quickly joined by Warrick, Catherine and Nick who easily fit into the wide back seat of the SUV. Billy, Kim and Steve led Grissom, Sara and Greg outside through the Garage door towards the other Hummer that was parked outside. They stopped when they heard a shout from inside.

"6 people aren't gonna fit in that Hummer," James shouted as he took a step outside. They all stopped and turned towards him. He seemed to give them all quick glances. "Sara you can ride with me," He said as he disappeared back inside.

"Sara?" She turned at the sound of Steve voice behind her. "A little advice, as soon as you get into that car, make sure you put you're seat belt on,"

"Why?"

"Trust me," He turned and walked towards the Hummer parked in a nearby spot. She sighed and walked back into the Garage. By the time she'd got there, James had stripped off his armour and was buttoning up a long sleeved shirt. When he was done, he threw his armour into the back of the Hummer and slammed closed the boot.

"Ok, Danny. I'll catch up," He tapped the body work on the car and Danielle started up the Hummer. It quietly rolled passed Sara who took a few more steps into the garage. She watched as he slowly slid the arms of the shirt above his elbows effectively changing the long sleeve shirt to a short sleeve shirt. He was still wearing his black trousers but with the dark blue shirt it seemed to match. He had left the top button open which made him look much more relaxed than he did wearing the body armour. "You alright?" He opened the passenger door of the mustang and signalled for her to sit. She smiled and walked up to him.

"Yeah I'm fine," She slid into the car and placed her purse on her lap. He closed the door and it was a few seconds before he opened the driver's door and slid in himself. He quickly adjusted his seat and mirrors so he could see ok.

"It's just with what happened last night, I was expecting you to take a few days off," He said as he slid the key into the ignition. Sara sighed.

"Don't you start, I've already had this from Nick," She said jokingly. James laughed and turned the key. The engine roared to life causing the car to shake a little and then settle down. James looked around the car quickly and pressed a button on the dash. A small screen slid out just below the radio. Once it was slid out, it turned and revealed its screen to the driver. James looked down and found a pair of sunglasses. He placed them over his eyes to stop the glare from the morning sun. They wrapped around his face like they were made for him. Sara watched him and pulled her rose tinted sunglasses from her purse. She placed them on her face and looked over at James who smiled at her. James began revving the engine causing the car to shake more. Quickly remembering Steven's advice, she reached behind her and pulled on her seatbelt. James pressed a few buttons on the screen before him.

"Ok, what did they say about my driving?" He asked as he continued to press different buttons. Sara pondered for a moment before answering.

"Steve just said to make sure I wore my seatbelt," James laughed and turned to her.

"He's right you know," James slammed his foot down on the accelerator casing the back wheels to spin on the spot for a second before the car shot off out of the garage door.

* * *

The sun was just hinting over the horizon causing the light to reflect of the damp road surface. Gil noticed the lack of traffic but it was still quite early in the morning. He looked out of the side window as they continued down the road at quite a quick speed. Billy was driving and Steve was sat in the passenger seat with a laptop on his knee. There was plenty of room on the back seat for the three of them. Greg had decided to start a conversation with Kim and now they were comparing different punk bands. Every so often Greg would stop to tell Billy which way to turn to get to the Diner. They passed a shopping centre and Gil saw the reflection of the other Hummer behind them. He could see Danielle driving, easily keeping up with Billy. A car passed them and left the road ahead free of traffic. Gil saw Danny check her rear-view mirror and smile. With Greg sat next to him he knew he wouldn't get a clear view through the rear window so he wound down the side window instead. He stuck his head out a little and saw the black BMW speeding up to them. It pulled up behind the rear Hummer and then waited a few seconds. He could easily hear the Beemer's engine as it switched to a higher gear. The car popped out onto the other side of the road to overtake the SUV's. Gil could see James behind the wheel with Sara sat next to him. She was laughing and James was smiling. The BMW quickly sped passed both the Hummers and pull in front of them. He noticed how bright Sara looked for a change. What happened last night seemed to of made her appear younger. Almost like the bright young student she had been when he had first met her. He hadn't seen her like that for a long time. Catherine had been right; all Sara needed was a decent man in her life. Grissom smiled for a second before it turned to a frown. If only he could have been the decent man in her life.

* * *

They all stepped into the cosy little diner and the bell above the door announced their arrival. It was practically empty before they went in. Just a few regulars eating or drinking at the counter. Now there were six scientists and six hungry soldiers crowding the place. The waitress behind the counter was young and her dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail. She looked up at the sound of customers entering and recognised some of them as regulars. She smiled and told them to sit where they liked. They walked further into the diner and sat in the two end booths, across from each other. The booths were large and curved round a central table. They split into two groups and found that they could easily fit six into one booth. It had been quite since they sat down with all of them realising that there was still a little tension between the two groups. Warrick looked around the two tables and the other table looked just as subdued as his was. The only conversation was between Greg and Kim. He looked back at his own table and the people on it. Catherine was sat next to him and Gil next to her. James was sat on the end of the seat with Danielle and Sara.

"So it's your birthday is it James? How old are you?" Catherine asked across the table. James looked up from the menu in his hands.

"It's not normal conversation for a young lady like yourself to be asking a gentleman his age you know?" He said jokingly. Everyone at the table laughed a little and Catherine blushed. James smiled at her and she laughed too. "Actually, my birthday isn't for another two days and I will be 26,"

"You got anything planned for the special day?" Warrick asked. James shook his head as he continued to look over the menu. "Don't you have any family to spend it with?" James stopped and passed the menu to Danielle.

"I consider these guys as my family," Danielle took the menu and rested her head against James' shoulder for a minute. She knew that family was a difficult subject for James to talk about. James sucked in a breath before continuing. "None of us have got any immediate family to talk about. My parents died when I was a teenager," He looked down at the blonde hair that rested on his shoulder. "Danielle and Kim were raised in a foster home and Steve was abandoned in an orphanage when he was born. Wayne was married but now he's divorced with no kids and Billy's Dad died a couple of years ago," He sighed staring at the centre of the table.

"Well, why don't you let us take you out for your birthday?" Catherine asked. She looked at Warrick who nodded at the idea. "A nice dinner and then to a few bars," James seemed a little shocked by it but thought about for a few seconds. Danielle lifted her head from his shoulder.

"Sounds good," Danielle said before James could answer. She looked round James towards the other table. "Hey guys," She waited until she had their attention. "You guys up for a dinner and a pub crawl for the big man's birthday?" They all nodded quickly but the CSI's looked a little confused on both tables. Catherine looked at Warrick and Gil who just shrugged their shoulders. She then looked over at Sara who was just as confused as everyone else. She turned to James who was still thinking.

"James?" Catherine asked. He looked at her with questioning eyes. "What's a pub crawl?" Danielle was still talking across to the other table so James had to lean over to talk to Catherine.

"Basically, you go round every pub or bar in town and have one drink in each place. There are two main versions of a pub crawl. There's 'The London' version or 'The Yorkshire' version and both can be pretty rough on newbie's," He looked at Danielle who notice his eyes on her straight away. "What version we playing?" He asked her.

"It's your birthday James, you choose," She said. James shook his head.

"No, I chose last time," He turned to Catherine. "Why don't you choose Catherine? The London rules or the Yorkshire rules?" Everybody turned to her awaiting a decision.

"What's the difference?" She asked confused.

"Well London's has a lot more rules, the Yorkshire version is simpler," Danielle answered.

"Well, let's take it easy and say the Yorkshire rules," She had no idea what she had just agreed to. There was a loud cheer from the other table. She looked at them to see a lot of thumbs ups from the Englishmen. James and Danielle started to snigger at her choice.

"So what are these rules then?" Gil asked, not looking forward to the answer. James answered before Danielle could butt in.

"Well, you continue round the pubs until someone throws up. Then that person buys the drinks for the rest of the night," Gil eyes shot wide at the idea. He looked at Catherine who didn't look as shocked as he did.

"Well what happened if someone doesn't throw up," Catherine asked. James and Danielle looked at each other before looking back at Catherine.

"With the amounts that us English drink," James said while looking over the menu once more. "Someone always throws up,"

_A/N: Please review._


	6. Revelation

_A/N: Sorry it took so long to update put this chapter was little difficult to write but I promised you more action. Anyway this chapter has a little surprise at the end. Hope you enjoy it! _

_PS: The briefing is taken from Swat 4 which is an ace game._

* * *

Nick walked through the halls of the lab making his way to the locker room to start his shift earlier than usual. As he passed the garage, he saw the two Hummers and the Beemer with the doors wide open. He could see a set of feet with white socks sticking out one of the Hummers and decided to take a look. He quietly opened the door to the garage and instantly noticed how cold the room was. The garage was always colder than the rest of the building but today it was bitterly cold. He walked towards the first Hummer and saw a small set of boots on the floor that looked like they had been kicked off. He peered in and saw that Kim was asleep across the backseat with her feet slightly sticking out of the door. Steve was also asleep in the back but sat up and Kim was using his thigh as a pillow. Nick noticed Steve's arm rested over her shoulder and smiled. Kim suddenly moaned and adjusted her position a little in her sleep causing the burgundy blanket to fall to the floor of the Hummer. Instantly, she began to shiver from the cold and Nick could see goose bumps bubbling up on her arms. His smile grew wider as he picked up the blanket and placed it back over her. She smiled in her sleep, subconsciously thanking him for his help. 

"A little late in the afternoon for sneaking around isn't it Nick?" Nick jumped at the sound of the voice and turned towards it. James was stood next to him sipping a plastic cup of coffee. As he did, his face scrunched up from the taste and he spat a mouthful back into the cup. "That has got to be the worst coffee in the world,"

"It's probably the stuff that Dayshift left this morning, Greg hides the good stuff," Nick said as James threw the cup into a nearby bin. "Why are you guys sleeping in these cars?"

"We were offered a hotel but were used to sleeping rough, so it's just easier. Plus it kind of makes sense for us to stay here,"

"Well I know I wouldn't be able to sleep in a car like that," Nick said as he looked over at Kim. James looked round him and watched as Kim slowly raised her hand and placed in on Steve's knee. It was obvious she was still asleep as she gave it a gentle squeeze.

"Oh I don't know. She looks like she's enjoying it," James said as he started laughing. Nick saw the hand on Steve's knee and started laughing along too. There was a moan from inside the BMW. They watched as Danielle rose from the backseat and stretched her arms. James walked over to the Beemer and reached his hand in the door and helped her out of the car.

"What's all the noise about?" She stretched again. "Fancy waking a girl up before she got all her beauty sleep," Danielle said sleepily.

"God knows you could use it," James said smiling slightly. Danielle turned and punched him in the arm catching him right on the bandage. He winced in pain from the shot.

"And what was that suppose to mean?" She asked as she crossed her arms over her chest. James waited for the pain to subside before looking at her. He spoke to her with the softest voice he could.

"Danielle, I think that you are the most beautiful girl in the world and any kind of beauty sleep you take will only intensify your beauty tenfold," Nick was little shocked at James' sudden charm and nodded his head in agreement. A smile slowly crossed Danielle's face and she wagged her finger as she walked passed him.

"I don't know whether to kiss you or punch you sometimes you know that,"

"Can't we do both? It's more fun that way," He shouted after her. She turned and gave him the finger before walking out the door towards the bathroom. James looked back at Nick who was still laughing. James looked down at the Rolex watch on his wrist and realised the time. "You're a little early for your shift, aren't you Nick?"

"Need to finish off some paperwork," Nick answered. "Are you looking forward to tomorrow night?" James nodded his head.

"Have you guys decided where were going to eat first?"

"I don't know. I think Catherine was finding a place," Nick said as James leaned against the boot of the Beemer.

"I was just thinking that if it's a posh place, we don't really have any fancy clothes so we'll have to sort something out that's all," James crossed one foot over the other putting all his weight on one foot. "It's a good job were getting something to eat first, because were gonna need it to soak up the alcohol," Nick raised his eyebrows.

"How much do you guys normally drink on one of these pub crawls?" Nick asked. James looked at him and smiled.

"Oh I don't know. About 5 pints, 4 or 5 shots, a couple of cocktails but with large groups, you never know what's going to happen," Nick eyes grew wide and James noticed. "Your not worried about keeping up with us, are you?" Nick laughed.

"It's been a long time since I had a party like that, but I think I'll be able to give you a run for you money," James smiled. They heard someone enter the room and looked up. Brass had just walked in on his cell phone. He said a few more words into it before closing it.

"Hey guys, there's a hostage situation in Henderson and we don't have a SWAT team that's available,"

"You want us to have a go Jim?" James asked. Jim smiled at him.

"If you guys think you're up to it," Jim answered back.

"You got a negotiator on site?"

"Yeah, he's talking to the suspects as we speak, you'll be fully briefed when you get there," James nodded and turned towards the cars.

"Give us half an hour Jim," He said over his shoulder. As Jim quickly left the room, James reached the back door of the Hummer. He reached up and tickled the sole of Kim's foot causing her to giggle in her sleep. He continued until she stirred and woke. She looked around and saw James in the doorway. "Come on girl, time to stop touching up Steve and get to work," She looked confused for a minute and then looked over at her hand. She saw it resting on Steve leg and instantly withdrew it. Steve jumped out of his sleep from the movement. Kim sat up and threw off the blanket. She stepped out of the SUV and sat down on the floor to get her boots on. James walked round to the other Hummer and found Billy sleeping on the front seat. His head was rested on the doorframe and his mouth was open which was causing him to snore with every breath. James turned and signalled for Nick. Nick walked over to him and saw Billy asleep in the car. He stifled a laugh at Billy sleeping with his mouth wide open. James leaned over a whispered to Nick "Watch this man," James turned back to the sleeping Billy. "Billy? Come on, it's time to get up," From the sound of James' voice, Billy slightly turned in the seat.

"Mom, I don't want to go to school today. The girls they pick on me," Billy said in his sleep. Nick and James burst out laughing but it didn't seem to wake Billy up. Kim and Steve walked round the Hummer to find out what they were laughing at. Once James was able to control his laughing, he reached through the open window of Hummer and pressed the horn. Billy jumped from his sleep and looked at James. There was a moan from the back seat as Wayne was also woken by the horn.

"Come on sleepyheads, get you yourself together. We got a hostage situation in Henderson; it'll be a good chance to test that new armour". Ten minutes later they were ready and tore out of the garage towards Henderson.

* * *

Jim had seen the two Hummers pull up just down the street and their occupants stepping out of the vehicles. They were already kitted out with their armour and their M4's. As they approached him, Jim smiled. 

"Thanks for the help guys; we need this one sorting quickly,"

"Glad to help Jim," James answered. Jim looked around at the group and looked a little disappointed. James picked up on it quickly and smiled. "Sorry Jim, there's only five of us. I couldn't leave Nick at the lab on his own so I left Kim with him," Jim blushed a little before becoming serious again.

"Let's get you briefed," He turned and walked towards a parked Van just behind him. On the side of it was a layout of a building that had been taped in place. They stood and watched as Jim briefed them on what had happened. "We're looking at a barricade/hostage situation, with at least three hostages. Dispatch received a 911 call at around 1900. A commuter pulled into this Convenience Store to get gas and pulled out again when she noticed an armed woman coming out the front door. She called 911 on her cell phone. The first officers on the scene observed multiple gunmen, number unclear, and at least one unarmed civilian inside. When the gunmen threatened the civilian, they backed off and set up a perimeter," Jim turned and pointed to a photograph of a dark haired woman who looked around 30 years old. "So far we have one likely ID: Alice Jenkins. She's been in rehab for oxycodone addiction. Oxycodone is an opiate similar to heroin, equally addictive. It's prescribed legally as a Schedule II drug, making it possible for any idiot with a falsely obtained prescription to turn dealer. It sells for up to eighty dollars a pop on the street,"

"That's a rare drug to be taking. Isn't that stuff like Mercury? It drives you nuts right? James asked. Jim nodded at James questions before he continued.

"Knowing Jenkins, this is probably a bungled robbery for drug money, possibly related to a rash of recent convenience store hits. She and her cronies probably didn't intend to take any hostages, and they don't know what to do with them. That makes them more dangerous, since we can't predict what they might do, and they've stopped talking to the negotiator. Given their erratic behaviour, at least some of the suspects may be high. They are armed with handguns, and we have visual confirmation of three suspects so far. There may be more. As far as the hostages go, we believe there are three: Kim Dong Yin, Heidi Rosenstein, and Willis Fischer, employees at the Store. There might be additional customers, but it's unlikely. Given the recent spate of gunfire, we can't wait any longer; it's time for a tactical solution. That's why you guys are here," James nodded as Jim pointed to him. James stepped forward and looked at the map on the side of the van. It took him a few moments to think of a strategy.

"Right, we'll go round the back and sneak in that way using this loading area and the entrance for the employee bath rooms. I want two groups. Danielle and Wayne; I want you to clear this stock room on the side leading towards the register area. Billy and Steve, you're with me, we'll sweep through the back entrance, through the office and into this refrigerator room. Then both teams will clear the front service area simultaneously. Any questions?" They all shook their heads. "Right, go get ready,"

* * *

James reached around and pulled a pair of wire cutters from the back of his belt. He began snipping away at the fencing, creating a hole. He put the cutters on the ground and stretched the hole making it large enough for them to fit through. James stepped through the hole and into the area at the back of the convenience store. His team followed as they stepped through the muddy alley. The yard was littered with old shopping trolleys and dustbins. There was a large industrial container taking up most of the yard on the left. James saw the service door on the left just before the container. He pointed to it. 

"Blue team, stack up on entry point one and check the lock," He whispered. Danielle and Wayne nodded and slowly walked towards the door. James continued on, followed by Billy and Steve. They slowly stepped through the yard towards second entry point. They saw the fire escape and two other doors leading to the employee restrooms.

"Entry point one is locked," Danielle whispered into her radio. "You want us to set a breach charge?"

"No do it quietly, pick the lock and then mirror under the door," James answered. He looked toward Billy and Steve. "You guys do the same, check the lock and then mirror it," They both nodded and stepped up to the door. James stood back and covered them. He watched as Steven placed his M4 on the ground and pulled the wand from his back. He extended the wand and stuck the camera underneath the door. He looked down at the screen and then twisted the camera slightly to get a full view of the other side of the door. He looked up at Billy and then James.

"Rooms clear, I can see two doors both closed. One directly across from this door and the other is further down the hall," Steve whispered. He slid the wand back over his shoulder and reached for the handle. There was a sudden flushing sound coming from the male bathroom. James spun round and pointed his M4 towards the bathroom door. He could hear someone washing their hands. James stepped up next to the door and put his back flat against the wall. Steve picked up his gun and just waited with Billy. There was a clicking as the lock on the door was opened. James could hear someone whistling behind the door as he lowered his M4 to his side. The door opened and James saw a Desert Eagle in the gunman's hand as he exited the bathroom. James quickly threw a punch across the man's face causing him to slump to the floor. James reached down and removed the gun from gunman's hand. He then pulled out a zip tie and tied the man's hands behind his back. He picked up the Desert Eagle and removed the clip from the gun. He then pulled back the hammer to throw out the bullet from the chamber. He then placed, both the clip and the bullet into his pocket and placed the gun on the ground in plain sight but away from the unconscious suspect. He turned back to Steve and Billy and nodded.

"TOC, this is Entry Team. One suspect in the back alley is secured and ready for transport," He said into his radio headpiece.

"Roger that Entry Team, standing by for all clear," Jim answered back.

"Steve, just mirror the door again just incase," James asked quietly. Steve nodded and pulled out the wand and quickly checked under the door.

"No change boss,"

"Blue team, report status," James whispered.

"Entry point is unlocked and we are standing by,"

"Ok, guys as quite as possible," James said still keeping his voice quite. "Go when ready," Steve nodded and opened the door. He pushed the door fully open without causing a sound. Billy swept passed him and into the building. James quickly followed with Steve picking up the rear. They checked the small hallway and found three doors. One had been out of Steve's view from under their entry point but thankfully it was closed anyway. James silently gave the signal for them to check the first door opposite the one they came in. Billy watched their backs as Steve checked under the door using the wand. James stood beside him just incase someone opened the door. Steve pulled back the wand and looked up at James.

"There's a counter on the right side of the door that stretches across the room. It's blocking my view of the room altogether," Steve whispered. James nodded and reached behind his back. He pulled out the door wedge and set the clip for the height. He reached down and quietly slid it underneath the door. It clicked to show that it was locked in place.

"Blue Team, we got a problem with the back office so were leaving it till last," He spoke into his headset. He then pointed to the next door, which was the one that had been hidden from view. Steve quickly used the wand under it. Steve looked up at James.

"I got a civilian in this room and no suspects. But, there's an open door and I can see a shadow," He moved the screen on the wand for James to see. It showed the room inside and a woman on her knees with her hands bound behind her back. James could easily see that she had been crying from the way her mascara was running. Steve pointed to the open door on the screen. There was a shadow that was moving backwards and forwards through the doorframe along the floor. James couldn't see whom the shadows belong to but it was more than enough to persuade him.

"This door first," He whispered making sure Billy had heard him. "Stay against the wall, the civilian seems to be out of view of the door, so we should be ok. Just nice and slow. I'll go first and check that open door way first," Both Steve and Billy nodded. Steve replaced the wand over his shoulder and pulled his M4 into his hands. Steve slowly opened the door as wide as it could and James slipped passed him and into the room. He stayed close to the wall and slowly made his way to the open door way. The hostage noticed him enter figuring he was here to help her. James silently stood next to the doorway. He looked through the doorway and saw a large pane of tinted glass in the other room. He could easily see the entire room in the reflection. There were three armed suspects included Alice Jenkins with two hostages in the room with them. Alice was arguing with the other suspects about the police outside. He turned and signalled for Steve and Billy to enter the room. The both entered and crept up behind him. James looked at them, and using some hand signals, told them that there were three suspects in the next room and two hostages. James then clenched his fist and then opened it quickly signalling for a flash grenade. James looked back into the room using the mirror and waiting for them to turn a little more. When they did, he crossed to the other side of the door without being seen or heard. He lowered his M4 to his side and pulled a flash grenade from his belt. Billy and Steve were ready to rush in when it went off. James quietly pulled the pin from the grenade and threw it into the room making sure it landed in front of the suspects. There was a deafening bang and a blinding light from the room. Billy rushed through the doorway first followed by Steve. James lifted his M4 back into his hands and followed them into the room. Two of the suspects had dropped their weapons when the grenade had gone off but Alice was still holding a shotgun in one hand as the other hand was rubbing her eyes. James stepped up behind her just as the gun fell to floor. Billy and Steve did the same to the other two suspects.

"Down on the ground now!" Billy shouted. The suspects jumped at the sound of the voice and trembled as they lowered to their knees. Steve pulled three zip ties from his belt and began securing the suspects hands behind their backs. After Steve had secured the other two, he tried to cuff Alice but she kept moving. It was obvious that the affects of the flash had worn off. James stepped up and tried to hold her still while Steve cuffed but with no luck. James reached behind to his belt and pulled out a yellow canister. He threw it to Billy who sprayed some of its contents onto Alice's face. She screamed in pain as her eyes quickly turned red. James quickly grabbed her wrists forcing them behind her back as Steve use the zip tie to secure her. She continued to wriggle as she fell flat to the floor. Billy threw the canister back to James who placed it back on his belt.

"TOC, this is Entry Team, two suspects and main target are secure and ready for transport. We also have three civilians ready for evac,"

"Roger that, awaiting the all clear," There were footsteps behind them and they turned to see Danielle and Wayne entered the room. James pointed his gun back at the ground and smiled at them.

"You guys have any trouble?" He asked. Danielle shook her head. "Right, Danielle. You and I will clear the front area and you guys clear that back room," Steve, Billy and Wayne all nodded and left towards the back room while James and Danielle walked into the front area of the shop. The front of the shop was clear but there was still the refrigerator on the other side. James slowly creped up to the fridge door noting it was slightly ajar. Danielle followed close behind. James looked through the door and saw at least two shadows on the opposite wall. He gave signal to Danielle to throw in a Stinger Grenade. She lowered her M4 to her side and pulled a grenade from her belt. She pulled out the pin and James reached for the door handle. She signalled she was ready and James pushed the door open. Danielle threw the grenade through the door and they waited for the bang. When it went off, it blasted hundreds of tiny rubber around the room that if they hit you was like getting punched by a Heavyweight boxer. The good thing about using a stinger is that the effects last longer than a flash bang as the suspects were generally feel the pain for hours. As the grenade went off there were a few screams from inside. James went in with his gun held hard against his shoulder, ready to take a shot at any suspect willing to take a shot at him. Danielle followed him in carrying her gun the same way, practically mimicking his movements. There were two suspects crouched against several boxes of vegetables, clutching their stomachs and crying in pain. James and Danielle made quick work in tying them up.

"Team Leader, back room was clear. No suspects," Billy said over the radio.

"Good job guys," James answered. "T.O.C, this Entry Team. Add two more suspects to the list and we are code four, all clear,"

"Good job Entry Team, we are sending in the Paramedics,"

* * *

"Ok guys," Catherine said as she entered the break room. Warrick and Nick looked up from their coffee mugs. "Tomorrow night, 7 o'clock at The Bistro. Sound good?" They both looked at each other before nodding. 

"The Bistro? Pretty nice place Cath, How'd you get a reservation at such short notice?" Nick asked.

"Manager's an old friend of mine so I pulled in favour; you guys have got something nice to wear right?" She asked with her head tilted to one side. Nick and Warrick both laughed as a smile spread across Catherine face. "Have you seen anyone else around here?"

"I saw Greg in the DNA lab about 20 minutes ago," Nick said as he looked at Warrick questionably.

"Yeah I saw Sara heading that way as well," Warrick added. Catherine turned to leave the room. "Hey Cath, how'd the entire night shift get tomorrow night off anyway," She turned back and looked at him for a moment.

"Sofia has agreed that Swing shift will cover for us. You guys are alright to pull a double sometime next week right?" She quickly left the room hearing a few laughs behind her. She walked towards the DNA lab and met Gil heading towards his office. She quickly told him about the restaurant and Gil nodded before disappearing into his private domain. She walked into the DNA lab and found Greg staring into a microscope. She took a few steps closer before speaking. "Hey Greg," Greg looked up from the scope at the sound of her voice.

"Hey Cath. What's up?" He asked before looking back into the microscope.

"Dinner tomorrow night, 7 o'clock, The Bistro. Ok?"

"Yeah Cath, that's fine," He once again pulled away from the eyepieces. "One question. Are we driving or getting a cab?" Catherine thought for a minute before answering.

"Get a Cab, then you won't be tempted to drive," She winked at him and he smiled at her humour. "Have you seen Sara anywhere?" He looked back into the microscope.

"She said she was going to trace for something," Catherine thanked him and left the room and headed to trace. As she approached the room, Sara was just coming out thanking Hodges as she left. She was looking down at a piece of paper that Hodges had given her and didn't even notice Catherine was standing in front of her.

"Hey Sar, you alright?" Catherine said, as she stood right in front of her. Sara looked up from her paper.

"Sorry Cath, what were you saying?"

"James' dinner is tomorrow night at the Bistro, is ok with you?" Catherine asked the brunette. Sara beamed a smile at the idea of having dinner with James despite the fact that everyone else would be there also.

"Sounds good," They both began walking down the corridor together. "What time do you want me there?"

"The reservation is at seven," Sara nodded as Brass approached them.

"Hey guys, I'm gonna have another go at interrogating Peter Lambert and Grissom isn't available so he wants one of you to do it," He said as he stood in front of them. Catherine turned to Sara.

"I've got a meeting with Lindsey's Principle and I need to go and get ready. Do you mind handling this one Sara?" Catherine used one of her trademark pleading smiles. Sara sighed.

"No problem, I'll handle it. You get yourself going," Sara answered. Catherine smiled and quickly walked away down the hall. "Come on then Jim, lets get this over with," She turned towards the locker room so that she could grab her jacket.

"Aren't you forgetting something?" Jim said. Sara stopped and turned back towards him with a questionable look on here face. "You need a bodyguard with you," She cringed at the idea of someone following her everywhere. "I know its not easy Sara, but they are for your protection,"

"I know Jim, but I don't like people invading my space that's all," They both turned and began walking towards the break room. They found several of the Ravens sat in there with Nick and Warrick. They were talking about tomorrow night. It seemed that Nick and Warrick were a little overwhelmed by the amounts of drink that these guys got through in one night. Danielle and Wayne were just telling them the basics on handling it while Billy and Kim were arguing with each other about what was the best cocktail in the world or something like that. Sara and Brass walked into the room and they were greeted by a collection of smiles.

"Hey, Sara needs a babysitter while we do an interrogation down at P.D," Jim said as he pointed to Sara. Most of the group continued talking to each other apart from Danielle.

"Who are you interrogating Jim?" She asked.

"Peter Lambert," The room went silent. The four members of the Raven stared at Jim. There was silence for a few moments. Nick and Warrick just looked shocked at the sudden silence. "I take it from your silence that you've heard of him,"

"That guy is bad news," Billy said from the back of the room. "We nearly got him in France but he slipped away at the last minute and just disappeared. Six hours later, his pregnant wife was found dead at a remote air strip,"

"I'll go," James said from behind them. Nobody had seen him standing in the doorway. "You guys stay and look after the place," James quickly walked away as everybody continued their conversations.

* * *

Peter Lambert was sat back in the interrogation room. His clothes had been changed to an orange boiler suit. His hands were rested on the desk with the cuffs hanging down between his wrists. Brass was stood against the glass wall with a second Policeman. Sara was sat across the table from Peter. He hadn't taken his eyes from her since she'd entered the room. 

"Mr. Lambert, we have more than enough evidence to get you the death sentence," Sara said without avoiding his gaze. "So why don't you just gives us the names of the people you operate with and we'll put in a good word with the Judge for you," Peter began laughing.

"You think a threat of death is gonna persuade me to give my comrades?" There was a creak as the door opened. Peter continued laughing until he saw who it was. His face went dark, showing his instant hatred for the man. His hands balled into fists and his knuckles quickly went white from the strain.

"Hello Peter," James said in the doorway. He closed the door and took a few steps into the room.

"I should have known they'd send you after me," Peter said as he lowered his eyes to the desk. James took the seat next to Sara directly across from Peter. "Here he is, the great James Phoenix, the man who almost got me in France," Peter looked directly at James. "The man who was responsible for the death of my wife and my unborn son!" James slammed his fist down onto the metal table.

"Don't you dare try to pin that on me," James eyes flamed with rage. Sara and Jim watched in bafflement. "You were the one with the gun against her head. Using her to try and bargain your way out of an impossible situation. You shot her in the neck, knowing that I would tend to her giving you enough time to save your own ass. You're pathetic for trying to blame that on me,"

"Why did it take you three years to come after me James? Did you not have the bottle to face me?"

"Trust me! I wanted to. Ever since that night I saw you shoot that girl, I've been waiting to get my chance to kill you, one way or another," James words were dripping with hatred.

"What would Dad think, if he'd heard you speaking like that?" Peter answered. It was a few seconds before Jim and Sara had realised what Peter had said.

"What?"

"Oh, I guess James left that little fact out," Peter turned to Sara. "Lambert was my mother's name. My real name is Peter…Phoenix,"

* * *

_Please review, tell me what you think._


	7. Past Events

_A/N: I am so sorry it took me so long to update but this was very difficult chapter to write. This chapter kind of explains James' past so it took a lot of imagination to come up with. It does involve some drinking but the next chapter will involve their night on the town and some very heavy drinking. Me and my friends are going out on the weekend for a pub crawl so if anything interesting happened, I'll include it in this so you can get a proper feel of British drinking._

* * *

Danielle walked down the corridor towards the interview room. She knew how pissed off James can get when Peter was involved so she wanted to make sure it didn't blow out of proportion. She didn't know why James hated him so much but that's just how James was around Peter. As she took a few more steps towards the door, it swung open and James stormed out. His eyes were flaming with anger. He walked passed her without even a look towards her.

"James, what happened?" She asked after him. When she got no answer she turned back towards the doorway, watching Sara walk out also. "Let me take a guess," Sara tried to smile at her but it failed. "Peter pissed him off," Sara nodded towards her and Danielle shook her head. "What is it with those two? I guess they just were naturally born to hate each other," There was a shout from behind her, down the hall.

"Danielle!" James shouted just in front of the double doors leading to the reception. She turned towards him. "Make sure Sara gets back to the lab,"

"And where are you going?" She shouted back. He turned and pushed open the doors before answering.

"To get drunk!" The doors swung shut as he disappeared. Danielle turned to Sara and noticed her slight change of colour.

"Hey Sara, you alright? You look a little pale," Sara didn't respond, she just stared down the corridor. "Ok let's get you to the lab," Before she knew what was going on, Sara was sat in the Hummer coasting down the strip towards the lab. The silence was eerie inside the car with only the sounds of the road vibrating through the wheels. Danielle kept looking over at her from the driver's seat, making sure she was ok but Sara continued to look out of the passenger window at all the passing shops and bars. As they passed a car park for one of the smaller bars on the strip, she recognised James' BMW as one of the few cars occupying the spaces. She realised that James must be inside and decided that she needed to talk to him.

"Hey Danielle, I think I'll finish shift early and do some shopping," Sara looked over at Danielle who was just turning the wheel to pull up at the side of the road. "I'll make my own way home later"

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Danielle asked. Sara quickly nodded back. "Ok, I'll see you at the restaurant tonight then," Danielle said as Sara opened the door and slid out onto the pavement. She shut the door and watched as Danielle pulled away. She waited till the car had disappeared before turning and walking back towards the bar. Sara had been in this bar before as it was one of the few bars that were open all night. She pushed open the door causing the heat and a low amount of music to escape from inside. The sun was just rising in Nevada, but inside the Bar was dark and abandoned. She looked around and the bar was empty apart from the elderly bartender and James sat at the bar on a high stool. He had taken off his armour and was dress in his normal clothes with a black leather jacket draped over the stool next to him. She watched as he brought a beer bottle up to his lips and drank some of its contents. She took a few steps closer into the bar before the bar tender realised she was there. She smiled at him before taking the stool next to James.

"Hey," She said as she placed both hands on the bar. James pulled the bottle from his lips and lowered it back onto the neatly placed coaster.

"I thought I told Danielle to take you back to the lab?" James said without looking at her.

"I saw your car in the parking lot and I wanted to make sure you were alright," The bar tender walked over using his apron to make dry his hands.

"What can I get you?" He asked. She looked up at him and then at the many stocked drinks stored in the refrigerators behind the bar.

"Just a beer thanks," Sara answered. The barman nodded and walked over to one of the fridges. He came back with a beer and threw a coaster down on the counter. He pulled the cap off the beer and placed in down on the coaster. Sara thanked him and he walked to the other side of the bar to continue cleaning the numerous tables scattered around the place. She looked back at James who was staring down at his hand. She looked at it and saw him staring at a set of silver dog tags. There was a silence between them only disturbed by the changing of the song on the jukebox. She decided to break the silence and question him. "So, Peter is your brother?" She asked. It was a few moments before James started shaking his head slowly. He turned and looked at her.

"Peter is my Half Brother," He looked back down at the dog tags in his hand. "The unfortunate produce of a relationship my father had before he met my mother," Sara watched as he twisted the metal tags between his fingers. She saw four separate tags, two had his name on them while the other two she could only see the first names. Jessica and Katy.

"I thought that you were only supposed to wear your own dog tags?" She asked while taking a sip of her beer.

"Normally you'd wear one set, both tags engraved with your name, rank and serial number,"

"So why do you have four?" Sara asked as she placed her beer back on the counter. James sighed and brought the tags closer for her to see. She looked at the two single tags.

"You know that most of us ended up in the army because we were convicted of something right?" Sara nodded. "Well when we found out we were all recruited the same way, and none of us have any direct family. If we died, the memories of the ones we did have would die with us so we made a pact. So we decided that we would wear a single tag, engraved with the name of someone close to us so that they would never be forgotten," Sara reached over and took the chain from his and examined the tags closely.

"Jessica Marie Phoenix?" Sara asked as she read the first tag. James smiled at the memories that quickly flooded his mind at the mention of her name.

"My mother," James sighed. "She died when I was fourteen,"

"How?" She asked without thinking. James eyes faded for a moment like the images were running before them. She saw the look in his eyes and instantly regretted asking the question. She leaned forward try to catch his gaze. "You don't have to answer that if you don't want to,"

"No, it's ok," James sighed again before taking another swig from the bottle before him and placing it back on the bar. "She was run over by a drunk driver on her way home from work one night. It wasn't till a few days after the funeral that my father moved Peter and his mother into the house,"

"That's a little insensitive of him,"

"You could say that. I think in the space of a year, I must have said just 10 words to him. I was really pissed off with him," James lifted his beer and drank the last mouthful in the bottom. Sara looked at the second tag in her hand.

"Katy Stanton?" She asked once again without thinking. She looked up at James and noticed his eyes were glazed over but they seemed much more intense than before. He stared into empty space for what seemed like an hour. His eyelids closed several times showing that he was tired.

"That's somebody I really don't like talking about," Sara was unhappy about him hiding his feelings. He reminded her of Grissom in some ways. He could be completely open one minute and the shut himself off the next. She watched as he yawned into his hand. She smiled at he apologised to her for being so tired.

"It looks to me like you could use a decent night's sleep," She pushed her empty beer bottle towards the bartender as he collected the empties. "I can't see sleeping in those cars is doing you any good and your gonna need some rest if your gonna be awake for your party. Why don't you come and sleep on my couch? I know its not a comfortable bed but its got to be a bit better than those damn car seats," Sara suddenly realised what she had said and blushed at the revelation of it. James seemed to think about it for a while before looking up at her and smiling.

"You got beer at your place?"

* * *

Sara opened the door and stepped into her apartment. James stood in the doorway, silently waiting for her approval to cross the threshold into her private domain. She took off her jacket and hung it on the hook by the kitchen door before placing her purse on the hook aswell. She looked back and saw James still stood in the doorway.

"You can come in you know?" Sara said as she beckoned him through the doorway. James smiled and stepped over the threshold. Sara took his jacket and hung it next to hers. Underneath the coat, James was wearing a navy blue shirt with a vertical lined pattern of lighter blues. He reached forward and once again folded his sleeves up his arms above his elbows. As he did, he glanced around the main room of the apartment.

"This is a nice place Sara," He said while she was still stood behind him. She was glad he couldn't see her face go red. There was a sudden grumble and James rested a hand on his stomach. Sara smiled and walked passed him.

"You must be hungry, come on I'll get you something to eat," She walked into the kitchen and by hearing the extra footsteps on the tiled floor, she knew James had followed her in. She opened the fridge and pulled out two beers. She pulled off the tops and handed one to James. He looked at her and smiled.

"Thanks," He said as he lifted the bottle to his mouth. She smiled back at him as he took a large swig from the bottle. Sara placed the other bottle on the table across from him and looked back towards the fridge in search of food.

"I apologise about the food before hand," She said with her head still submerged in the fridge. "I'm a vegetarian,"

"You don't need to apologise for that," James said behind her. She pulled her head out of the fridge and looked at him. "You're living your life like you want to, that's a good quality Sara," Sara began to blush again and she put her head back into the fridge hoping that the cold draft would reduce her slightly reddened cheeks. "It's ok Sara; I'm not really that hungry anyway," James sighed and looked back down at his beer.

"So…," Sara said as she sat down in front of her beer across from him. "Anything you wanna talk about?" She was pleading for him to talk about what was bothering him but James just seemed to stare into his beer. They both just sat in silence. She sighed and took a drink from her bottle. "When I was a kid, my father abused my mother. The constant beatings, the hospital visits and the stupid excuse of walking into a door was always in our house. When he was done with her but still had some energy left he would turn on me or my brother. Then one night, my mother had had enough and she stabbed him with a knife from the kitchen," James looked up from his beer and into her eyes. Sara was a little startled by the intensity of his eyes on hers and she could feel her face turning red again "She was sent to prison and from then on I was put into foster home after foster home, constantly being moved around and separated from my brother which is why I get upset during certain cases. Something that happened a long time ago still effects the way I act and the way feel these days," It was Sara's turn to look down at her beer to try and hide her sadness. James didn't say a word and returned to staring at his beer bottle. There was a brief silence in the room again.

"Remember when I said I hadn't spoken to my Dad for a year before he died?" James said without lifting his vision from his beer bottle. Despite that fact he couldn't see her answer; she nodded and placed her bottle back on the small table. "I only really spoke to one person that year. She was a girl in my science class who I had to do a project with. She was a smart girl and very pretty. The brightest blonde hair and boldest hazel eyes I'd have ever seen. I went over to her house a few times for the project and then her wanting to know what she was missing; she invited herself to my house," Sara continued to listen as James took a another swig from his bottle before he went on. "Things just seemed to click with us, before we knew it we were friends and then best friends. We hung out all the time either at her house or mine. It wasn't long before I realised I loved her but it was months before I worked up the courage to actually tell her. When I did, she had the biggest smile on her face," James laughed a little. "I thought she was just gonna laugh at me and tell me to get lost,"

"What did she say?" Sara asked urging him to carry on with the story.

"She didn't say anything. She just ran over and kissed me," James laughed again and drank another sip from his bottle.

"So what happened to her?" Sara asked. James face lost all emotion and he closed his eyes. A few moments later, Sara saw a small tear travel down the side of his nose. It rolled to the tip and then dripped to the table. She reached over and placed her hand on top of his. It was a few minutes before he started talking again.

"Every Friday night we would go out to the pubs with her other friends. We were too young to be drinking but nobody really cared back then. She would always sit across from me and play footsie with me under the table. She was everything to me, my whole life. Then one Friday night she didn't look well at all but she still came out. I went to the bathroom and when I came back she was gone. I asked her friends where she was and they said she'd gone out side for some air. But when I went outside, I couldn't find her. So I thought she might have had to rush home for some reason of another so I began walking back to her house to make sure she was alright. On my way there, I passed an alley which led to the back of a small post office. As I passed it, I heard a muffled yell and then a slap. So I went to look and there she was. Katy was being raped by three guys,"

"Katy? The girl on your dog tags?" Sara asked. James slowly nodded and pulled the dog tags from round his neck before spinning the chain around his index finger.

"The guys were in our year from school so I knew who they were. Two of them were holding her down and covering her mouth while the other was inside of her. I'll never forget the look on her face. I've never seen anyone look more frightened. She saw me and screamed through the hand over her mouth. Luckily they were slightly drunk so I fought them off quite quickly before they ran off. I immediately tried to call the cops but she stopped me saying that she didn't want anyone to find out. I took her home to try and talk some sense into her and tell the police but she just kept crying. She was that desprete to hide it from her parents that she begged me to have sex with her. I refused and continued to berate her about to the cops. After hours of talking, she changed her mind and decided to tell her parents what had happened. The cops did very little, they pulled the guys in who had raped her and both I and Katy identified them. They were set free due to a lack of physical evidence. Our school did a little more than the cops. Me and Katy were given our lessons on our own in a small science room on the outskirts of the building. On a Wednesday afternoon, the teacher got a message that there was a phone call for him in the office. So he left to answer it, telling us to keep studying. Just a few minutes after he had gone, the three guys ran into the room and one of them smacked me on the back of my head with a brick. I was down for the count on the floor. I came too but couldn't move my body from the neck down. I saw them punch Katy across the face and then kick her in the ribs. When they finally let her fall to the floor, she looked over at me, giving me the same look she gave me that night we went out. I tried to move to help her but couldn't. One of them grabbed a blow torch from the counter. I watched as the flame turned blue and then to white as it got hotter. They ripped off her school blazer and her bra. One held her face down to the floor by her hands while another used his body weight to hold her legs. Then the third walked over and scored the word 'Grass' into her back with the blow torch," Sara hand shot up and covered her mouth at the shock of torture inflicted on that poor girl. "She never fought back; she simply stared at me trying her best to not cry out from the pain. She was biting her lower lip so hard that it was bleeding. When they were done with her they moved onto me but I had regained some control over my body by then and I fought back. They were still able to burned the skin on my back. Eventually they stop trying to mark me with a word and just torched my entire back. Something spooked them and they ran off. The teacher came back about ten minutes later and found us. Katy was in the hospital for about a week but the hit to my head and the tenderness of the skin on my back meant I was in for about a month. She never came to see me, no letter and no phone call. When I got out, all I wanted to do was see her and I went round to her house to find it empty and up for sale. She'd left me an envelope stuck to the door with my name on it. Her parents had moved her away once they knew what had happened," A few more tears splashed to the table as James continued to stare down at the little droplets covering the table surface.

"What did the letter say James?" Sara asked. James sucked in a deep breath.

"I've never read it, I just couldn't bring myself to do it," He rubbed the dog tags in his palm with his thumb. "I was hurt physically and mentally. All I could think about was her and what those three guys had done to her. Then my Dad died of cancer and I snapped. I went to school for the first time in three months and I wasn't really thinking straight. I watched as the three guys went into a classroom with a bunch of other students. I left a massage for the teacher and he soon left the classroom. I walked in and nobody really noticed me, till I smacked one of them with a hammer. He went down and then everyone ran out but I managed to corner another of the guys. He managed to hit me with one of the chairs and then I punched him in the stomach before hitting him right on the temple with the hammer. Then the third grabbed me from behind and I dropped the hammer to the floor. He whispered to me 'She was the best fuck we'd ever had but then again she always was a slag'. Well that really made it worst. I got this sudden burst of energy from nowhere and managed to throw him over my shoulder. He hit his head on the floor and was dazed. So I dragged him over to the teacher's desk and grabbed a soldering iron. I used it to mark her name into his back and then did the same to his friends. The police came and arrested me and then I chose to serve in the Army. I saw Katy a few years ago. She's a Physiatrist now. But I couldn't build up the courage to apologise to her," Sara gave him a questioning look.

"Why did you need to apologise to her?" She asked.

"Because it was my fault. If I hadn't forced her to go to police none of that would have happened and I wouldn't have lost her," James stared back down at the beer bottle in front of him. Sara placed her hand back over James's hand and reassuringly squeezed it.

"It wasn't your fault James; you did what was right,"

* * *

Sara shot out of her sleep, awoken by the nightmare of her father's murder. Her skin glistened with sweat and it showed on her grey tank top and light blue pants that she slept in. She sat up and calmed her breathing before looking to the clock on her bedside. It was four pm and the bright lights of Vegas were glinting through the bedroom curtains. She wiped the sweat from her forehead before standing up from the bed. She stepped out into the hall and quickly used the bathroom. When she came out, she could hear the faintest of snoring coming from the living room. She slowly wondered in and yawned. She looked over and saw that James was still asleep, stretched out across the sofa. James had fallen asleep as soon he'd laid down there but it had taken Sara a few hours to fall asleep in her bed. Suddenly, James rolled onto his side causing the thin quilt to fall to the floor. He was still wearing his clothes but his shirt had ridden up revealing the muscles on his stomach. Sara could also see the hints of a tattoo on his left arm. She walked over to him and picked up the quilt. As she went to cover James with it, she stared down at the empty space on the sofa next to him. She really didn't want to go back to her bed after that nightmare. She felt safe with him and didn't want to be alone. She quietly laid down next to him and placed the quilt over herself before covering James with the remainder. She snuggled close to him with her back to him so she could feel his warm breath on the back of her neck as he continued to sleep. It wasn't long before she fell back to sleep and to a better dream.

* * *

_Please tell me what you think._


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